Parliament irresolute on age of people to be amnestied

The Parliament passed the draft, initiated by the President, as to the amnesty related to the 2008 Youth Year, in the first reading on Friday. Yet the deputies have not decided on the age of the people to be amnestied – 21, 25 or 30 years, Info-Prim Neo reports. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has proposed to apply the amnesty on the people below 21 years, taking into account the gravity of their infractions and their behavior in jail. Following the President's proposal, 168 people were to be set free, who committed not so serious offenses. As for 518 people jailed for felonies, the term was suggested to be reduced. Similar clemency is to be applied as to jailed mothers with children below 8 years and who have not been deprived of parental rights. The President also suggests to set free the young people awaiting their trials. A number of MPs have objected as to the 21-year threshold since the clemency is motivated by the Youth Year. “If a person is 22,does that mean she is not young?” Communist Vadim Misin has asked himself and has proposed the age of thirty. Moldova Noastra Alliance MP, Leonid Bujor, suggested to take into account that a young person is considered to be 30 according to the Moldovan law and 25 – according to the European Youth Charter. Deputy Minister of Justice Nicolae Esanu, who presented the draft, has said 21 years is the maturity age in many countries and said if the amnesty is extended over the people below 25, the number of pardoned detainees will go up to 1,600. The MPs decided to agree on the age threshold in the second reading. On April 1, 686 prisoners younger than 21 served sentences in the Moldovan jails, 101 from whom are minors. The last amnesty occurred in 2004 on the 10th anniversary of the Moldovan Constitution.