3,300 prisoners to be freed early

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria plans to free thousands of minor offenders in an attempt to relieve its overcrowded jails and ease the work of the legal system, the government said Thursday.

Under a draft law approved by the Socialist-led government, about 3,300 inmates with light sentences or nearing the end of their terms will be released, the cabinet said in a statement.

Criminals serving time for murder or assault will stay in jail. The amnesty also aims at marking the 130th anniversary of the Justice Ministry in 2009 and is in line with prepared amendments to the penal code, the statement said.

Human rights groups have slammed the European Union newcomer for failing to bring its jails up to the bloc's standards and improve living conditions for inmates.

Some 12,000 people in the Balkan country of 7.6 million are behind bars.

The draft law needs parliament approval. A previous government attempt to free about 1,500 prisoners to mark

Bulgaria's EU accession in 2007 failed after deputies rejected

the plan as populist.

(Reporting by Tsvetelia Ilieva, editing by Mark Trevelyan)