About 4,000 Jordanian prisoners to be freed under general amnesty

Jun 9, 2011, 15:42 GMT

Amman - About 4,000 prisoners are to be pardoned under a general amnesty issued by King Abdullah II, Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit said Thursday.

About 1,500 prisoners would be freed immediately, and the rest in batches, Bakhit said. The freed prisoners would include hundreds of Islamists who were involved in the 2002 riots in the southern city of Maan.

Bakhit said the amnesty, which marks the 12th anniversary of the king's accession, was a confidence-building measure aimed at improving relations between citizens and the government.

The amnesty excludes crimes related to espionage, state security, narcotics, rape, pre-meditated murder, financing of terrorism, money laundering and currency forgery.

Abdullah has tasked Bakhit's government with carrying out speedy political reforms - which have been demanded by protesters for the last four months - including the drafting of new election laws.

A National Dialogue Committee set up by the monarch in March issued proposals earlier this week for new laws governing the election of the lower house of parliament and the formation of political parties in the country.