President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has disclosed that the current administration has pardoned only 86 prisoners thus far this year.
Speaking to the residents of AA. Thoddoo during his ongoing tour of selected islands in Alif Alif and Kaafu atolls, President Dr. Muizzu expressed concern over the high number of prisoners released without proper rehabilitation under former administrations. He noted that these releases, usually timed around major elections, have compromised public safety.
The president shared statistics on the number of prisoners released during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration. He noted that 429 prisoners were released to coincide with the 2023 presidential election, and 256 in 2022. In 2021, 458 prisoners were released ahead of the local council elections, while 762 prisoners were released to coincide with the 2019 parliamentary election.
The president's statistics excluded the number of prisoners released in 2020.
President Dr. Muizzu emphasized that the current administration has abandoned the practice of politically motivated prisoner releases. Despite the parliamentary election being held earlier this year, statistics will prove that no prisoners were released with a political motive, he added.
'This year is ending with only 86 prisoners having being released from prisons, be it under clemency or a presidential pardon,' he said.
The Cabinet has recently decided to conduct rehabilitation programs aimed at prisoners.
