Newspaper The Washington Post said that Mr. Biden had commuted the sentences of almost all people on the federal death penalty, a total of 40 people. The US President said the remaining three people who were not pardoned were involved in terrorism and mass murder cases with hate motives. 37 people had their sentences reduced to life without parole.
“I condemn the murderers and grieve for the families of the victims who have experienced irreplaceable loss. However, with my conscience and experience, having worked as a defense attorney, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president and now president, I believe we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” Mr. Biden said.
US President Joe Biden
When running for election in 2020, Mr. Biden pledged to stop applying the death penalty. However, Mr. Biden’s administration is considered inconsistent, when the US Department of Justice on the one hand halts federal executions, while still trying to issue new death sentences and protect existing ones. .
Many advocacy groups, including families of victims, have called on Mr. Biden to pardon those sentenced to death. Some fear that if President-elect Donald Trump, who supports the death penalty, returns to the White House, Trump’s term will have many federal executions.
Over the past several decades, the death penalty has declined in the United States. Polls show that people are also gradually less supportive of this punishment. The number of executions has decreased and nearly half of those on death row were sentenced at least 25 years ago.
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt had an interview on Fox News on December 23, saying that Mr. Biden’s decision to pardon prisoners on death row was “completely crazy”. Recently, Republican members also criticized the US president when Mr. Biden pardoned a series of prisoners.
