​Kerry: The US welcomes positive step by Azerbaijan to release more than a dozen individuals

Baku. 18 March. REPORT.AZ/ The United States welcomes the positive step by the Government of Azerbaijan to release more than a dozen individuals incarcerated for their work on human rights or for their exercise of fundamental freedoms. 

Report informs, US Secretary of State John Kerry said it in his statement.

"We look forward to working with Azerbaijan on additional positive steps. We also urge the government to release the remaining individuals widely considered to have been incarcerated for exercising similar freedoms and to end restrictions placed on the movement of those released".

Notably, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has yesterday signed an order pardoning a group of prisoners.

The order says the decision to pardon the convicts was taken after considering appeals of several convicts, their family members, the Commissioner for Human Rights, human rights organizations to the head of state, as well as the personality of convicts, their health state, family conditions, and their behavior during the conviction.

Under the Order, 137 convicts are released from the unserved part of their prison sentence; six persons are released from correctional work; and five person has his fine cancelled.