Three people have been pardoned in this country since the new pardon committee started working last November. During this time, the committee has processed 27 requests for pardon, 24 were refused and three were approved. All of them were based on health status.
This is stated in an announcement on the Cabinet’s website, where it is said that the Minister of Justice presented a memorandum on the course of pardons on Tuesday.
“A pardon involves the remission of a sentence, in part or in whole, after the person has received a sentence. It is always conditional for a certain period of time, and if the person who receives a pardon keeps the sentence, the sentence is cancelled.
The President of Iceland exercises the power of pardon according to the constitution and exercises it directly and under the responsibility of the Minister of Justice. The minister assesses whether the conditions for a pardon are met and presents the pardon to the government before it is presented to the president, who decides finally whether to accept the proposal.” says on the Government Council’s website.
It further states that the minister will seek an opinion from the pardon committee, which will submit a reasoned proposal for processing. “When assessing whether or not to grant a pardon, the committee looks at, among other things, the nature and seriousness of the offence, the length of the sentence, social conditions and humanitarian considerations.
Pardons are most often granted for health reasons. Then it is assessed that the person does not have sufficient health to serve a sentence in prison. It takes a lot for a pardon to be granted on this basis.”
