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Military operation in Ukraine

Kremlin cites Russian Constitution as basis for pardoning convicts serving in special op

Under the Russian Constitution, the right to pardon those convicted by Russian courts and those serving out sentences of foreign courts in Russia belongs to the country’s president

MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. Convicts taking part in Russia’s special military operation are pardoned based on national laws, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

When asked to comment on statements by Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin about the president pardoning convicts serving under contracts, Peskov said: "I can’t say anything about decrees." "You know, there are open decrees and there are decrees with various security classifications. This is why I can’t say anything about decrees. However, I can confirm that the process of pardoning convicts takes place in strict accordance with Russian laws," the Kremlin spokesman noted.

Under the Russian Constitution, the right to pardon those convicted by Russian courts and those serving out sentences of foreign courts in Russia belongs to the country’s president. Russian nationals, foreign citizens and stateless persons are eligible for a pardon. The act of pardoning an individual may either involve releasing convicts from serving the remainder of their sentences, or reducing or commuting their sentences.

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Dmitry Peskov Military operation in Ukraine

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