Tajikistan to free more than 11,000 prisoners

Tajikistan said Wednesday it will release more than 11,300 prisoners to mark the upcoming 35th anniversary of the central Asian former Soviet republic’s independence.

Tajikistan, which has been ruled since 1992 by strongman President Emomali Rakhmon, typically announces sweeping amnesties every five years to mark key anniversaries, including Independence Day on September 9.

The latest amnesty was announced Wednesday in the official paper of the Tajik parliament, a day after the president signed the legislation into law.

In total, it will affect 18,038 convicts: 11,305 will be released, and the other 6,733 will see their sentences reduced, all within two months.