BAKU
(AFP) - The Azerbaijani parliament on Tuesday
approved a prisoner amnesty proposed by the
country's glamorous and powerful first lady that
will likely see thousands of convicts released.
The
move -- put forward by Mehriban Aliyeva, the
influential wife of strongman President Ilham Aliyev
-- should see some 2,000 prisoners, mainly women,
disabled and elderly convicts, released and 7,000
more have their sentences cut, according to the new
law.
"I
believe that being able to forgive, with goodwill
and humanity, can change a lot in this world for the
better," Aliyeva, who is a member of parliament,
told the largely rubber-stamp legislative body
before it approved the act without a debate.
Aliyeva's
husband Ilham -- who in 2003 succeeded his father
Heydar, a KGB officer and Communist-era boss, as
president -- has faced sustained criticism for the
country's allegedly poor human rights record.
Oil-rich
Azerbaijan's economy has boomed since Aliyev came to
power, but rights groups say that freedom of
expression is being suppressed and dissenting voices
silenced.
Azerbaijani
security forces earlier this year brutally
suppressed several demonstrations including one over
alleged hazing in the army and arrested scores of
protestors.
Aliyeva,
48, was born into one of Azerbaijan's most powerful
families that, according to a leaked 2010 US cable,
has amassed a fortune through its involvement in the
country's lucrative construction, financial and
telecommunications industries.
Aliyeva
is known for her love of sometimes racy designer
clothes and according to the same leaked US
diplomatic cables has allegedly undergone extensive
cosmetic surgery and "appears unable to show a full
range of facial expression".
The
amnesty act is intended to mark the upcoming 90th
anniversary of the birth of Aliyeva's deceased
father-in-law, former president Heydar. It is
expected to come into effect on Wednesday.
