Turkmen leader to pardon prisoners in mass amnesty

ASHGABAT, Sep 7 (Reuters) Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov plans to pardon 9,000 prisoners next month, continuing an annual ritual observed during the rule of his eccentric predecessor, state television reported today.

Former President Saparmurat Niyazov died in December 2006 after ruling the Central Asian state for 21 years. In his final act of amnesty he set free half of the prison population just two months before his death.

Turkmen television said Berdymukhamedov would pardon 9,000 prisoners in an event known the ''Night of All Forgiveness'', expected next month, towards the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The report did not specify the current prison population, which stood at 18,000 at the time of last year's amnesty.

International rights groups say Turkmenistan has a large but unknown number of political prisoners. It was not clear whether next month's amnesty would include political prisoners.

Under Niyazov, mass amnesties took place once a year but the new president, who has shown a willingness to reform, has told officials to pardon people gradually throughout the year.

In the last pardon in August, he freed 11 prisoners including the country's former chief mufti, who were jailed after an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Niyazov in 2002.

REUTERS ARB HS1137