Biden commutes death sentences amid Trump's execution push
Joe Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 inmates to life imprisonment, reports "The New York Times." This decision is particularly significant against the backdrop of Donald Trump's plans to lift the moratorium on executions.
Biden has long advocated for the abolition of the federal death penalty. He instituted a moratorium on its implementation and now has commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
- I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level - the president stated in a statement issued on Monday.
The clemency does not include three individuals guilty of mass murders, including Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. The Supreme Court upheld Tsarnaev's death sentence in March 2022.
Trump wants to expand the list of crimes eligible for the death penalty
The "NYT" recalls that last week Biden spoke with Pope Francis, who prays for commutations of death sentences to life imprisonment. Catholic bishops in the USA have also called for an end to executions.
Donald Trump, who supports the death penalty, has called for an expansion of the list of crimes punishable by death. During his first term, he lifted the moratorium on executions.
The "NYT" reports that Trump wants the death penalty to apply to, among others, illegal immigrants who kill an American citizen or a police officer, as well as drug dealers and human traffickers.
Historic act of clemency. The previous record belonged to Obama
On 12th December, Biden reduced the sentences of nearly 1,500 inmates and pardoned 39 individuals convicted of non-violent crimes. According to the White House, this is the most extensive act of clemency issued by a U.S. president in history.
The previous record belonged to Barack Obama, who pardoned 330 people convicted of drug offences in a single day.
Media speculate that Biden is considering "preventive" pardons for individuals at risk of retribution from the president-elect and prosecution by the new administration. This includes, among others, Gen. Mark Milley, whom Trump accused of treason, and former congresswoman Liz Cheney.
