Justice and Human Rights Minister Fernando Rabat denied on Tuesday that José Antonio Kast's government faces political pressure to decide on pardon requests. He said they aim to respond "as soon as possible," although he declined to commit to a date.
According to BioBioChile, his remarks follow a week of debate over the case of Juan Aliste Vega. The former Lautaro member had been convicted of murdering Carabineros Corporal Luis Moyano and died on Sunday from terminal cancer. He had submitted his pardon request six days earlier, and it had not been decided before his death.
"When you set a course and stick to that course, there will never be political pressure," Rabat said. The minister defended a case-by-case approach, describing the matter as delicate.
The minister acknowledged the public's interest in learning the decisions. "There are no set deadlines for this matter," he said, adding that he understands there is "a legitimate public interest." He then maintained that the analysis "requires convictions, rather than dates."
Sources differ on the number of requests. According to BioBioChile, Rabat provided no figures for requests or pardons granted. However, Cambio21 reported that the minister said he had received more than a hundred requests since the government took office at La Moneda.
Aliste's case drew support from Republican Party lawmakers. That position exposed differences on the right, as Republican leaders proposed applying an equivalent humanitarian standard to inmates with similar health conditions at Punta Peuco, the prison where former uniformed personnel are serving sentences for crimes against humanity.
Rabat declined to set a general rule on humanitarian pardons. "For the government, all relevant information will be considered case by case insofar as it is recorded in each administrative file," he said. He said this approach seeks to avoid "a political controversy" like the one seen in recent days.
The discussion also touches on a campaign pledge by Kast: to pardon Carabineros officers convicted over acts committed during the social unrest of 2019. Republicans and libertarians have called on the president to make a decision.
Asked about that parliamentary pressure, Rabat distanced himself. "It is not my place to interfere with the legitimate statements and aims that each and every lawmaker may have," he said. The government has not announced a date for deciding on the pending requests.
