The Minister of Government, Dinoska Montalvo, clarified this Friday that the Executive Branch has not granted pardons for political crimes, but rather sentence reductions to persons deprived of liberty who meet the requirements established by law. All are deprived of liberty, maintaining the same rights and obligations as mandated by law, which is to protect and guarantee the rest of the rights that remain in force at all times for the person deprived of liberty. A sentence reduction shortens the time of a conviction, under certain conditions such as good behavior and age, while a pardon is a presidential grace that allows a person to be exempt from some or all legal consequences derived from a criminal conviction. The clarification comes amid questioning over the sentence reduction granted to Milena Edith Vallarino, wife of former Minister Guillermo Ferrufino, who is on the list of people who could benefit from the measure. We have published a list of sentence reductions for common crimes, corresponding to people who, within the penitentiary system, have fulfilled the purposes of the sentence. They have shown good behavior, respected the rules of the system, joined productive programs, either of study or work, and have demonstrated their capacity for reintegration into society, the minister explained in a video. The entity highlights that within the Penitentiary System, there are no reductions within the person who is serving their sentence. We have not granted pardons in the matter of political crimes.
