Pardoning prisoners in the Russian Federation is possible only in accordance with the law and a decree signed by the President of the country. This was stated today, January 9, by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the reports that appeared in the media that the first group of prisoners who became combatants in PMC Wagner completed a six-month contract and received pardons .
“You know that the pardon can only be enforced by presidential decree. From the point of view of legislation, there is a certain procedure that begins in the places themselves [содержания] detained, a documentary procedure, then at the regional level, then at the federal level, and ends with a presidential decree. Here I can say, of course, any forgiveness [осуществляется] only in strict compliance with the law, – emphasized the Kremlin speaker, answering the question of whether the Russian president signed documents on the pardon of former prisoners – Wagner’s fighters.
Earlier, in particular, the state agency RIA Novosti released a video in which the head of the Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that about 20 prisoners recruited as fighters have returned from Ukraine and received pardons after a six-month contract . According to Prigozhin, these are the first conscripted prisoners who “terminated the contract.” Their names and articles are not named, as are the legal reasons for the removal of the convictions.
