First group of pardoned convicts to be released tonight

The Ministry of Home Affairs has informed today that the first round of pardoned convicts would be released tonight. 47 convicts would be set free under conditional pardon pronounced by President Mohamed Nasheed on the 26th of last July, on the occasion of the Maldives’ Independence Day. A total of 400 convicts would be released and integrated back into the society by the end of this special program of amnesty.

Speaking to the Press, Lubna Mohamed Zahir Hussain, Minister of State for Health and a senior official of the amnesty program, dubbed “the Second Chance Program”, said today that persons to be released tonight included convicted of drug and theft offences and serving sentences in jail. She said that one of them was set to get treatment from drug rehabilitation, and that one more was set to get treatment for cancer. She also said that all released convicts would participate in the counseling programs conducted by the Second Chance Program Office, a new office created by the President yesterday to manage the amnesty program.

“We have made assessments, and in deciding the 47 persons to be released tonight, those assessments were taken into consideration. They would be handed over to their families, and it would still be mandatory for them to participate in the counseling programs conducted by the Second Chance Program Office”, said Lubna.

Lubna also said that health insurance under the “Madhana” program would be secured for all released convicts. Also, the government has made arrangements for them to get jobs. Lubna said that 16 of those to be released tonight had already being hired by the Maldivian National Defence Forces (MNDF) Engineering Corps, and that the remaining persons had already being employed at various government companies.

“They will be received by their families, all of them. We will give them two or three days to spend with their families, and then they would be required to start the programs conducted for their treatment and rehabilitation and personal development and also to their jobs”, Lubna said. She also said that most of those whom to be released were young persons, although a couple of persons were between 45-50 years of age.

Some 400 convicted criminals have been pardoned by the President on the occasion of Independence Day this year, and they are released on condition that they should keep an untarnished record of law-abiding civil life for a period of three years. If any of the released person defaults during the period, they would be sent back to prison to complete the original sentences, and if they complete the period without blemish, their pardon would be complete. The government has promised that all released convicts shall be provided with lodging if necessary, and that they will all be provided with job opportunities in government projects and companies, and if possible, with private employers as well.