Nearly 3,000 women may be granted amnesty in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

The ministry explained how the amnesty law, timed to the adoption of the new Constitution, will work. Special attention is paid to improving the legal status and release of convicted women.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the law covers 2,902 women. Of these, 249 are currently serving sentences in prisons, the majority are on probation, and another part is under investigation.

Special attention is given to women with minor children. 60 women serving sentences in prisons may be eligible for amnesty. They may be released or have their sentences reduced.

In addition, 71 women on probation who are raising children may be released from further punishment. Another 54 women with minor children who are under investigation may also benefit from the amnesty measures.

Overall, the amnesty will affect more than 15,000 convicts. Preliminary estimates suggest about 4,500 people will be released from criminal liability and punishment. Another 10,800 convicts may have their sentences or penalties reduced.

"The amnesty is not automatic; not all of the above convicts will be released. The application of the law for each individual will be determined depending on the category of the crime committed, behavior in correctional institutions, compensation for damages, etc. Some citizens will be fully released from further punishment, while others will have the unserved part of their sentence reduced or other mitigation measures provided by law applied," the Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasized.

The ministry recalled that a large-scale amnesty was recently held in Kazakhstan to mark the 30th anniversary of the Constitution. It then covered about 10,000 convicts, of whom 3,300 were women.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also noted that in recent years, systemic measures have been taken to support women who have broken the law. Since 2025, amendments to Article 74 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan have come into force. According to the updated norm, the court is obliged to grant a deferment of sentence for up to five years, but not beyond the child reaching 14 years of age, to women who have or are raising young children.

To date, this norm has been applied to 667 women who previously had to serve sentences in prison. This allowed them to stay in their families and raise children. A similar guarantee is now also provided for men who are raising a young child alone.

In addition, parliament adopted a law to bring criminal, criminal procedure, criminal enforcement legislation and the Code of Administrative Offenses in line with the Constitution.

The document contains norms aimed at improving conditions for women. In particular, it prohibits women from serving sentences in high-security facilities, removes restrictions on phone calls with family, and introduces the possibility of early removal of penalties for women with young children.

Pregnant convicts are also given the opportunity to give birth in civilian maternity hospitals outside the penal system.

Furthermore, social and domestic guarantees are expanded. This includes an increase in the number of parcels and visits, the duration of walks, and the amount of spending on food and essential goods.

At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reminded that the amnesty does not apply to persons convicted of corruption, terrorist and extremist crimes, torture, murder, human trafficking, high treason, crimes against sexual integrity, including against minors, torture of women and children, and a number of other particularly dangerous acts.

The ministry gave examples of the application of humane acts towards women. For instance, a 25-year-old woman was sentenced to five years in prison for theft. She is serving her sentence in a penal institution in the East Kazakhstan region. Thanks to the amnesty, the woman will be able to return to her family, prepare for the birth of a child, and start a new chapter in her life outside of prison.

Another 35-year-old convict also benefited from the amnesty. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the woman agreed to work as a drug courier and was sentenced to five years in prison. Her husband and two children are waiting for her at home. Thanks to the amnesty, she has a chance to have her sentence reduced and return to her loved ones earlier.

Earlier, Kursiv reported on which categories of citizens may be eligible for criminal and administrative amnesty.