Biden pardons 39 people, commutes sentences of 1,500 others over a week after pardon for his son
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Outgoing US President Joe Biden said his administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – Outgoing US President Joe Biden said on Dec 12 he was pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes and commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 others who were serving long prison terms.
The pardons and clemency come over a week after the US President signed an unconditional pardon for his son Hunter
Officials said last week that the White House was listening to demands for Mr Biden to extend the same grace to thousands of people wronged by the US judicial system.
The commutations on Dec 12 were announced for those who were placed in home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Biden said these people would have received shorter sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices.
Sources had told Reuters last week that the pardons that were being discussed were said to include those convicted of non-violent drug offences and people identified by civil rights groups as unjustly incarcerated.
“As President, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offences,” Mr Biden said.
The US President added that he will take more steps in the weeks ahead and that his administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions.
The White House said that the number of clemencies granted by Mr Biden was the most ever in a single day.
US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan 20, has said he would act on his first day in office to pardon rioters involved in the Jan 6, 2021, Capitol attack,
