The first 17 paramilitary prisoners due for release under the Belfast Agreement could be free by September 7th. As many as 200 may be released by the end of October.
The joint chairmen of the Sentence Review Commission, Sir John Blelloch and Mr Brian Currin, said they had received 446 applications from prisoners seeking early release.
The processing of 17 of these applications was close to completion and the prisoners concerned, one of whom was serving a life sentence, could be free by Monday week. A further 66 applications were at an advanced stage. This total of 83 included 32 republicans, 29 loyalists and 22 who belonged to neither category, usually because they had severed their paramilitary links while in prison.
Mr Currin, a South African lawyer, told a news conference in Belfast the Commission envisaged 200 applications would have been dealt with by the end of October. Others whose applications were successful would be released within the two-year period specified by the Belfast Agreement.
The chairmen said each applicant had to complete a form giving details of offences committed and specifying that he or she did not support any of the following organisations: INLA, `Real IRA', LVF and Continuity IRA. The list of organisations could be altered if the Secretary of State made an order which was then approved by parliament.
In a statement, Mr Glyn Roberts of the Belfast-based Families Against Intimidation and Terror said: "Prisoner release is an integral part of the Good Friday agreement and whether we like it or not the government will press ahead with it. No matter how sensitively the Sentence Review Commission approach this matter it will always be difficult for victims and their families.
"We are disappointed that the government have not taken into consideration the continued paramilitary beatings and shootings when they have decided what paramilitary group qualified for early prisoner release. The fact that all of the main paramilitary groups are currently up to their necks in violence will make the process of early prisoner release 10 times harder for the law-abiding majority in Northern Ireland. However, it seems we all have little choice but to live with it."
The agreement provides for an accelerated release programme for paramilitary prisoners. Those from organisations which were not observing a "complete and unequivocal" ceasefire are excluded.