The proposed amnesty law related to World Youth Day was approved in parliament this Monday with amendments from the PS and PSD, maintains age limits and does not come into effect until September 1.
The vote in the parliamentary committee on constitutional affairs, rights, freedoms and guarantees lasted almost an hour and a half, as the deputies chose to vote practically point by point, with the restriction of application to young people between 16 and 30 years old. approved by the PS, despite doubts about its possible unconstitutionality and votes against from PSD, Chega and Iniciativa Liberal.
The voting process turned out to be somewhat confusing, as the PS presented a new amendment proposal a few minutes before the meeting. “This happens because a proposed change was submitted 10 minutes earlier, which is legitimate, but requires more attention during work,” said the committee’s president, Fernando Negrão, in light of doubts raised by the similarities and differences between the diplomas of PS and PSD.
The socialists’ new proposal made no relevant changes compared to the proposal already submitted on Friday, which emphasized the exclusion of administrative offenses up to a thousand euros, maintaining only the forgiveness of additional sanctions (for example, a driving disqualification) . In today’s version, some clarifications have been made to certain articles and the acceptance of several amendments previously made by the PSD has been repeated.
And because they came first in the services of the Assembly of the Republic, it was the PSD’s proposals that were voted on, resulting in 11 amendments being approved by the Social Democrats, including an entry into force only on September 1.
In view of the original government diploma, several crimes were added to the list of exclusions from amnesty and pardons, such as trafficking in human organs, theft, crimes against national sovereignty and the implementation of the rule of law, prisoner riots, corruption in the international trade and in the private sector, against sporting truth, fraud in obtaining grant or subsidy and against children, young people and especially vulnerable victims.
The proposed law already included exceptions to forgiveness and amnesty, namely those who committed crimes such as murder, infanticide, domestic violence, assault, violation of serious physical integrity, female genital mutilation, violation of qualified physical integrity, forced marriage, kidnapping, against sexual freedom and self-determination, extortion, discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, influence peddling, money laundering or corruption.
The diploma covers crimes and offenses committed up to June 19 by young people between the ages of 16 and 30, to be passed due to the Pope’s visit to Portugal, stipulating a one-year pardon for all sentences of up to eight years in prison . An amnesty scheme is also provided for offenses the penalty of which does not exceed one year’s imprisonment or 120 days’ fine.
Source: DN
