The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella granted pardon to five people, totally or partially extinguishing the sentences to which they had been sentenced. This is a power provided by thearticle 87 of the Constitution, exercised by the Head of State in particular cases, after careful evaluation and with the favorable opinion of the supervisory magistrate.
The beneficiaries of the provision are Zeneli Bardhyl, Franco Cioni, Alessandro Ciappei, Gabriele Spezzuti and Alla F. Hamad Abdelkarim. For each of them, a note published on the Quirinale website illustrates the reasons for the decision, which take into account their personal background, health conditions, behavior during detention and the circumstances in which the crimes were committed.
Among the best-known stories is that of Franco Cioni, 77 years old. In 2021, in Vignola, in the province of Modena, he killed his terminally ill wife suffocating her while she slept. The man had been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for voluntary manslaughter. In the sentence, the judges had recognized the context of profound suffering in which the gesture had occurred, underlining the long period of assistance provided to the woman, with whom Cioni had shared over fifty years of life. He would still have to serve five and a half years of his sentence.
The case of is also particularly complex Alla F. Hamad Abdelkarim, 30 years old, of Libyan origin. Arrested in 2015 and sentenced in 2017 to thirty years in prison, he was held responsible, together with others, for a sea journey that ended tragically with the death of 49 migrants by asphyxiation. At the time of the events he was twenty years old. The pardon granted by President Mattarella is partial: the residual sentence is reduced to nine years, after Abdelkarim has already served ten.
The still image, taken from a archive video, shows Abdelkarim Alla F. Hamad, pardoned by President Mattarella
(HANDLE)
In the justification of the provision, the Presidency of the Republic refers to «profitable recovery path» undertaken during detention and in the «particularly complex and dramatic context» in which the crime occurred. During his years in prison, Abdelkarim also wrote an autobiographical book, Why I Was a Boy, recently published, in which he tells his story and the human journey he experienced in prison.
The other pardons concern different personal situations, united by the positive evaluation of the reintegration process and the re-educational purpose of the sentence, referred to in Article 27 of the Constitution.
Alessandro Ciappeiconvicted of a scam dating back more than ten years
years ago, assessed as modestly serious and linked to a conduct
occasional; And Gabriele Spezzutifor which the part was extinguished
residue of a heavy fine linked to drug crimes committed in 2005,
after expiation of the prison sentence and in the absence of further ones
illicit conduct
With this act, President Mattarella reiterates that justice is not only the application of the law, but also the ability to discern, attention to the person and recognition of the possibility of change. A strong reminder, especially in this time marked by conflicts, migrations and fragility, to the value of human dignity and institutional responsibility.
During his second mandate, the Head of State granted 27 pardons out of over 1,500 cases examined. The vast majority of requests were rejected or dismissed, often because of protection needs
were already satisfied by conditional suspensions or alternative measures to prison.
