Turkmenistan's parliament has adopted a law to reduce the country's maximum prison sentence from 25 to 15 years, a parliament source said on Tuesday.
The move comes following proposals voiced by Turkmen President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhamedov in March on reforming the country's Criminal Code in accordance with international standards.
Turkmenistan's Criminal Code has been criticized for overcrowded and unsanitary prisons and poor health conditions of inmates.
The law also introduces fines for minor crimes instead of imprisonment and adds two more articles to the Criminal Code aimed at struggling against terrorism and economic crimes.
The parliamentarians also approved another important law on increasing the role of advocacy as part of the efforts to liberalize the country's criminal legislation.
Analysts said the presidential proposals give hope for democratic developments in the gas-rich Central Asian state, which is emerging from nearly two decades of self-isolation.
Turkmenistan is eyed by many European states as a source of energy supplies alternative to Russia.
ASHGABAT, May 11 (RIA Novosti)
