84 former Chechen militants lay down arms

Since the amnesty in Chechnya was announced, 84 former militants have applied for giving up illegal armed formations, said the Chechen Republic's prosecutor Vladimir Kravchenko in an interview with RIA Novosti on Friday.

The law-enforcement bodies are carrying out an active advocacy campaign among the republic's population concerning the amnesty's application to militants, he said. "This has yielded certain results," he pointed out. The day before 32 people gave up their weapons in Grozny and Gudermes. They brought "heavy weapons, including a portable anti-aircraft missile system, grenade-launchers and dozens of firearms," Kravchenko explained.

The amnesty in Chechnya is in force from June 7th till September 1st. The State Duma's decree points out that the amnesty is applied to "individual that committed publicly dangerous actions during the armed conflict and/or during the counter-terrorist operations within the boundaries of the former Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic from December 12, 1993, till the coming into force of the decree on the amnesty, who abandon illegal armed formations or voluntarily give up weapons and military equipment before 12 AM September 1, 2003".

Moreover, the amnesty is also applied to soldiers who committed publicly dangerous actions from December 12, 1993, till the coming into force of the decree on the amnesty.