KHANKALA. June 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Sixty-two people have voluntarily given up arms in Chechnya since the State Duma decree on amnesty in Chechnya came into force, Colonel Ilya Shabalkin, spokesman for the regional operative headquarters directing the anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, told Interfax on Wednesday.
"Former rebels have been coming to the law enforcement agencies literally since the day the decree was published. This clear mechanism for solving the issue is producing positive results," he said.
None of those who voluntarily came to the police have been arrested, Shabalkin said.
An estimated 204 people are currently known to be considering filing an application for amnesty, Shabalkin said. These people are members of several groups, operating mainly in the southern part of Chechnya and in the mountains. "They are contacting the police through relatives, the heads of local administrations and elders," he said.
The regional operative headquarters' official address to rebels was a very important part of the process, he said. Leaflets containing this address and application forms for those who want to voluntarily surrender their weapons have been dropped from helicopters into the forests and mountains.
The amnesty procedures are very simple and experienced investigators are involved in it, Shabalkin said. "Everyone who comes to surrender weapons is interviewed and is given a document which guarantees his safety and gives him the right to return to his family," he said.