South Africa frees 35,000 prisoners April 29, 2012 - 17:48 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - South African authorities have said they are releasing up to 35,000 inmates to ease overcrowding in the nation's prisons, Belfast Telegraph reported. Police minister Nathi Mthethwa said some 14,600 prisoners would be released "conditionally or unconditionally", along with more than 20,000 offenders on probation or parole who qualify to have sentences cut. President Jacob Zuma announced the pardons, known as special remission of sentences, to mark the anniversary of Nelson Mandela winning the nation's first all-race elections in 1994. Mr Mthethwa said violent criminals and those jailed for sexual, drug-related and weapons offences will not be freed. Prison overcrowding is being reduced from 34% over capacity to about 20%. Since 1994, prisoners have been amnestied on several symbolic occasions.   Top stories Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive.   Partner news |  Latest news Viva sees growing demand for cloud services  In recent years, medical institutions are starting to make use of Viva’s cloud servicesArmenian, German presidents meet in Berlin Armenian and German Presidents Vahagn Khachaturyan and Frank-Walter Steinmeier met in Berlin.Armenia assumes presidency of Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities The Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia said it expects productive cooperation in various formats.Balance of attached cards in the Idram&IDBank app From now on, users will be able to view the online balances of cards issued by ArCa system banks and attached to the app. |
