On this day, 72 years ago, on March 28, 1953 (February 14, 1953 in the lunar calendar), the Soviet Union issued an amnesty. In March 1953, the Soviet government issued an amnesty, releasing all prisoners with short sentences, and ordered the Soviet Ministry of Justice to review the files of all prisoners. Only those convicted of counter-revolutionary crimes, theft, and murder who serve extremely long sentences remain imprisoned. Moscow issued a statement saying: This was due to the continuous consolidation of Soviet society and state systems and the increased vigilance of citizens, which led to a significant decline in the crime rate. The re-examination of prisoner files will begin soon.