A total of three amnesties were enacted by Russian Minister of Justice Alexander Kerensky in 1917.
[citation needed] When Kerensky was appointed a Minister of Justice in the newly established Russian Provisional Government, on 16 March [O.S.
6 March] 1917 Kerensky's ministry issued an order of political amnesty.
14 March] 1917 military amnesty was announced and after three days the Ministry of Justice issued a ruling "On the relief of the fate of persons who have committed criminal offenses" (Russian: Об облегчении участи лиц, совершивших уголовные преступления).
9 March] 1917 the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks) adopted a resolution about the Provisional Government which stated that the main task of the Soviets is "The universal arming of the people and, in particular, the immediate creation of a workers' Red Guard throughout the country".