Serdar Berdymukhamedov. Photo: turkmenistan.gov.tm
President Serdar Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan has signed a decree pardoning 247 people serving prison sentences, according to the state news outlet Turkmenistan: The Golden Age.
The amnesty was issued to commemorate the International Year of Peace and Trust, a designation for 2025 proclaimed by the United Nations at Turkmenistan’s initiative.
Berdymukhamedov announced the decision on July 25 during a cabinet meeting, instructing the pardon commission and law enforcement officials to expedite the release process and return the inmates to their families. In his address to those pardoned, the president urged them “to work in good faith, serve the Motherland sincerely, and live rejoicing in the fruits of honest labor.”
According to Turkmen.news, most of those pardoned had been convicted of theft or traffic-related offenses that resulted in serious consequences or significant financial damage. Well-known political prisoners were not included on the list.
Mass pardons are a regular practice in Turkmenistan and typically occur three times a year to coincide with national and religious holidays such as Independence Day, the International Day of Neutrality, and Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power). In March of this year, Berdymukhamedov pardoned 321 prisoners in honor of Laylat al-Qadr. In December 2024, 276 people were released for the International Day of Neutrality, and in September 2024, 736 inmates were freed in connection with the country’s 33rd Independence Day. According to media reports, the number of people pardoned in Turkmenistan in recent years has exceeded 20,000.
