16,000 prisoners walk free from penal colonies, detention facilities under amnesty in Russia

The number of Russians who have been made exempt from criminal liability under the amnesty devoted to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War has neared 100,000, Valery Maksimenko, acting head of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), said.

"Over 95,000 people have been released since the adoption of the decree on amnesty as of January 19, including some 13,000 from penal colonies," Maksimenko told reporters on Monday.

Three hundred convicts with sentences that have taken legal effect have been released from detention facilities, he said.

According to the FSIN, over 79,000 people registered with criminal inspectorates have walked free. Among the people released under the amnesty are 24 teenagers, Maksimenko said.

Number of the week: A look at the figures for Russian amnesties

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