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Uladzimir Asipenka may be released within month under amnesty

Uladzimir Asipenka, who was sentenced to three years in prison in May in the Mikalay Awtukhovich case, may be released within one month under a recently enacted amnesty law, his lawyer, Tamara Sidarenka told BelaPAN.

According to the lawyer, in a letter to his daughter Lyudmila, the 56-year-old Asipenka says that he was among the inmates who were interviewed by the administration of the correctional institution in Ivatsevichy, Brest region, in connection with their eligibility for the amnesty.

“The date of his release depends on the administration of the institution,” Ms. Sidarenka said. “If there are no delays, Asipenka will be freed within a month.”

Mikalay Awtukhovich, a businessman resident in Vawkavysk, Hrodna region, and his associate, Mr. Asipenka, were found guilty of illegal possession of arms, ammunition or explosives.

The amnesty law, enacted on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Soviet Union`s victory over Nazi Germany, provides for releasing those who were sentenced to a prison term of up to six years and have served at least one-fourth of the term. Mr. Asipenka is eligible for the amnesty because he was sentenced to three years and had spent nearly 15 months in pretrial detention.

As for Mr. Awtukhovich, who was sentenced to five years and two months in prison, he is not deemed eligible for the amnesty, as it does not apply to the offenders who committed a repeat premeditated offense before having served a previous sentence.