At the end of 2020, 110 applications of prisoners were received by the commission on pardon in the Rostov region.
A positive decision was made only on one convict. The defendant’s statement was presented to the president, but this hadata was rejected.
By law, any convicted person has the right to petition for clemency. When considering applications, the commission takes into account many factors: the degree of danger of the crime, the behavior of the prisoner, assistance to the investigation, personal data (health indicators, the age of the convict, etc.).
From January to November 2020, 88 men and 22 women applied for clemency. Half of the petitions submitted were accompanied by negative testimonials from correctional institutions. In total, more than 70% of applications are from convicts with multiple convictions. And every third person who has applied is judged more than 3 times.
The main reason why the commission rejected applications for pardon is the special danger of crimes, – commented Albert Atamanenko, head of the pardon department of the Government of the Rostov region.
Among the petitions for the cancellation of punishment there are 50 petitions from convicts under the article of illegal drug trafficking. Also among the offenses are murder, willful infliction of grievous bodily harm, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, etc.
The commission consists of 11 people – among whom are public figures of the city and human rights activists: the director of the Don State Public Library, the director of the Rostov Regional Museum of Local Lore, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Rostov Region, a priest, rector of the Church of the Holy Royal Straterbearers, etc.
Due to quarantine measures, the frequency of the commission meetings has been adjusted to once every two months. The face-to-face format of discussions has been preserved.
According to the official, the nearest consideration of the petitions (December statements of the convicts) is scheduled for February 2021.