Amnesty proposal for youth in connection with the visit of the Pope approved and reduced to a specialty

The government’s proposal for pardons and amnesties for crimes and offenses in connection with the Pope’s visit to Portugal for World Youth Day was approved this Friday in Parliament.

PS, PSD, PCP, Bloco de Esquerda (BE) and Livre voted for the diploma, while Iniciativa Liberal (IL) and PAN abstained, with Chega being the only one who voted against. Now the proposal will be submitted to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees for study in the specialty.

After the vote, Socialist deputies Pedro Delgado Alves, Isabel Moreira and Alexandra Leitao expressed their intention to present an explanation for the vote.

Since it was announced in June, the proposal has generated some controversy due to doubts raised by experts and various organizations regarding its constitutionality due to the age limit for application, as well as the crimes that are included and excluded from this government initiative.

The diploma deals with crimes and offenses committed before June 19 by young people between the ages of 16 and 30, which will be taken in connection with World Youth Day (WYD), which determines a one-year pardon for all sentences up to eight years. in prison. The amnesty regime is also provided for offenses with a maximum applicable fine of up to 1,000 euros and criminal offenses for which the penalty does not exceed one year’s imprisonment or 120 days’ fine.

The proposed law includes exceptions to the rules of pardon and amnesty that do not benefit, namely those who have committed crimes such as murder, infanticide, domestic violence, cruel treatment, a serious crime against physical integrity, female genital mutilation, a crime against qualified bodily integrity, forced marriage, kidnapping. , against sexual freedom and self-determination, extortion, discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, trading in influence, money laundering or corruption.