In Turkmenistan, corrupt officials are equated with drug dealers
In Turkmenistan, prisoners convicted of corruption charges as well as those convicted of drug-related crimes are not eligible for decrees on pardoning and amnesties. The relevant Law on amendments and additions to the Criminal Code of Turkmenistan was signed by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and published in state media. The Law requires Article 80 of the Code to be supplemented with the following Article: “As for condemned persons convicted of crimes related to corruption and illicit trafficking of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, decrees on pardoning and amnesty shall not apply.” In 2015, the country passed a law excluding prisoners convicted of drug trafficking from state pardoning and amnesties. The Law comes into force from the day of its official publication, that is, from today – December 13, 2019. In Turkmenistan, pardon actions are held several times a year ahead of public holidays and remarkable festivities.
