The Minister of Justice will not take any suggestion of a pardon to the President of the Republic for this Christmas.
“After individual analysis of each of the pardon requests, it was concluded that the crimes that were the basis for the convictions were highly serious,” the ministry supervised by Rita Alarcão Júdice told Renaissance Radio.
The Ministry of Justice further explains that, “it was also verified that there were no changes in the circumstances that determined the application of the prison sentences currently being served”.
In total, 125 requests were evaluated, made by the detainees themselves, their lawyers, family members or the director of the prison where they are held. The requests were then assessed, taking into account the opinions of the magistrates of the sentencing courts, the prison directors, the reports from the prison services and the proposals from the Minister of Justice.
Generally, Christmas pardons are justified on humanitarian and health grounds, with the advanced age of inmates also being taken into account. But this year “no reasons of a humanitarian nature, or other reasons of special importance, were identified that would justify granting the pardon.”
“On the other hand, the seriousness of the crimes committed imposes significant demands in terms of general prevention, which would be compromised if the pardon were granted”, says Rita Alarcão Júdice’s office.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will not, therefore, take any decision regarding the reduction of prisoners’ sentences in what will be his last Christmas at the Palácio de Belém.