President of the RoA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan today stated at a special session of the legislative body that in light of the political situation in Armenia a general amnesty is a long awaited and justified step to be taken. "Today, an amnesty has both humanitarian and political significance and can pave the way towards realizing our public objectives and assist in the nation's development," Mr. Abrahamyan said. In his estimation, any amnesty must be carried out according to necessity, when the time is right. "For us, what is important is not to cover-up problems but analyze them in depth and without prejudice and come up with corresponding solutions." According to the parliamentary speaker, each individual receives what he is worth and if the crime committed is particular to a given individual or an accidental occurrence, the opportunity to put things right must be afforded. "The outline of the amnesty bill proposes to treat those charged with crimes related to the events of March 1 and 2 of 2008 on a 1/3 basis if they have been sentenced to five years or more. I will be asking the President of the RoA to once again adopt a humanitarian approach and fix a larger cut, or 1/2, to their outstanding prison sentence," Mr. Abrahamyan declared. He stressed that an amnesty must not be confused with unfounded forgiveness, which leads to total absolution and immunity from punishment. "In reality, amnesty is a step derived from our Christian faith. It sends out a message of humanitarianism while at the same time spurring public cooperation and tolerance," Mr. Abrahamyan said.