This Wednesday, the Assembly of the Republic will hear the Minister of Defense on his statements about compulsory military service as an alternative punishment for young people who have committed petty crimes, a measure that Nuno Melo, however, denied.
The hearing of the President of the CDS-PP, at the request of Chega and the Liberal Initiative, is scheduled after the plenary session, at 18:00, at the National Defense Commission.
These requests were made after Nuno Melo spoke on April 27 at the 13th meeting of the European University of Aveiro that compulsory military service could be an alternative for young people who commit petty crimes, instead of institutionalization, which “in most cases, function only as a school of crime for life.”
The hypothesis was publicly supported by Interior Minister Margarida Blasco, who said that Nuno Melo “obviously spoke on behalf of the entire government.” However, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro refused to discuss this topic during interrogation.
Following strong criticism, especially from associations representing officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, who considered the idea “peregrine falcon” and “absurd”, the Ministry of Defense issued a statement on 30 April denying that Nuno Melo had announced the recruitment of young offenders and stating that the hypothesis was being considered in a purely academic context.
A few days later, speaking to journalists while visiting an agricultural fair in Ovibeje, Nuno Melo said that he lived “24 hours in a parallel reality” because of “a lie that made the news.”
“I lived for 24 hours in a parallel reality where lies created news, and then within 24 hours I commented on this news, the minister was faced with something that I never proposed, the president [da República] confronted with something that I never stated, and so it went until finally an explanation was given,” said Nuno Melo.
The government official stressed that he limited himself to giving “an answer to a student through a rhetorical question” as part of a session at the university regarding “what the Armed Forces can also do towards students or disadvantaged people.” context”.
Nuno Melo said he was “very pleased” with the requests submitted to the Assembly of the Republic for further clarification and stressed that he would do so “with great pleasure.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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