TIRANA, July 15 /ATA/ – Albania on Wednesday began implementing a criminal amnesty that will benefit more than 1,300 inmates, with 466 prisoners set to be released immediately and reduced sentences granted to hundreds of others.
A total of 466 inmates – including 11 women and one juvenile – will be released from prison with immediate effect, while the sentences of 869 others, including eight women and eight juveniles, will be reduced.
The amnesty also covers 5,077 offenders serving alternative sentences under probation supervision. Those convicted by Albania’s Special Court Against Corruption and Organised Crime are excluded.
Under the law, men sentenced to up to three years’ imprisonment, or to lighter penalties including fines and non-custodial sanctions, under final court rulings issued by May 31, 2026, are exempted from serving the remainder of their sentences.
Women sentenced to up to four years in prison, or to lighter penalties, under final judgments issued by the same date are also eligible.
The measure also applies to male inmates with three years or less remaining on their sentence and female inmates with up to four years left to serve.
In addition, all male prisoners aged 60 or over and female prisoners aged 50 or over qualify for the amnesty regardless of the length of their sentence, provided they have not been convicted of offences excluded under the law.
The amnesty also extends to offenders who were aged 18 or younger when they committed their crimes.
Those convicted of serious offences, including murder, crimes against humanity, rape and other sexual offences, human trafficking and a range of other grave crimes, are excluded from the measure, as are individuals convicted by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organised Crime.
/m.q/ /a.g/u.sh/
