Story highlights Decree announced as Turkey continues crackdown after failed coupMove is expected to make space in jail for those accused of involvement in coup(CNN) Turkey is to release on parole 38,000 prisoners jailed before last month's coup attempt, the country's justice minister said Wednesday. The move will free up space in crowded prisons as Turkish authorities continue a sweeping purge in the wake of the failed coup, which has resulted in the arrest or detention of more than 23,000 currently. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag tweeted that about 38,000 prisoners would be eligible for parole after having served half of their prison terms, as opposed to the standard two-thirds. The dispensation would only apply to those sentenced before July 1 -- weeks before the failed coup -- and would exclude those guilty of crimes such as murder, sexual or drug offenses and terrorism, he said. The move, he tweeted, was "not an amnesty."

Source: CNN August 17, 2016 10:52 UTC