Since the new pardon committee started working in November, three people have been pardoned. All were pardoned on the basis of health, but the committee has rejected 24 requests.
This is stated in a statement on the Cabinet’s website, which says that Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir, Minister of Justice, presented a memorandum on the history of pardons at the cabinet meeting yesterday.
It states that according to the constitution, the President of Iceland has the power of pardon and exercises it directly and under the responsibility of the Minister of Justice. It is the minister who assesses whether the conditions for a pardon exist and presents it to the government before the pardon is submitted to the president.
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The new clemency committee provides comments to the minister and submits a proposal for processing. Among other things, the committee looks at the nature and seriousness of the offence, the length of the sentence, social conditions and humanitarian considerations.
It is most common that a pardon is granted due to health conditions, but on the Government Council’s website it is stated that a considerable amount is required for a pardon to be granted on that basis.
