Beijing yesterday approved a prisoner amnesty in a gesture to mark the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in World War II, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted the measure covering thousands of war veterans as well as elderly, young or sick prisoners, the news service said.
The nation is preparing to hold a massive military parade on Thursday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in 1945. China has declared a national holiday for the day and financial markets are to be closed the following day.
The conflict is officially known in China as the “Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.”
Citing judicial authorities, Xinhua’s report said “several thousand” prisoners are estimated to be eligible for the amnesty. The oldest prisoner is 95, it said.
Four categories of criminals who are determined to be no threat to society are covered by the pardon, the report said.
They include convicted veterans who fought against Japan in World War II and the ensuing Chinese Civil War that ended in 1949, as well as those who fought in subsequent wars.
Criminals who are guilty of “serious crimes” such as embezzlement, taking bribes, terrorism and organized crime are excluded.
Xinhua said that the amnesty is the eighth since the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949.
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