Pendarovski: There Must Be Pardons, in Principle

When asked by a journalist whether there should be pardons for prisoners, Pendarovski said that during the course of the year there are 5-6 so-called pardons, while two are mandatory which are called festive or collective on the occasion of the New Year and 2 August. Pendarovski clarified that the pardons go through several levels before they reach the President. He says that the pardons are proposed by the prison administrations to the Ministry of Justice, from where they are forwarded to the permanent Commission in the Cabinet of the President, from where they then go to the President. “It is completely independent of the previous decisions of the Prison Administration. Regardless of what the Ministry of Justice proposes and regardless of what my Commission at the Cabinet proposes – I can decide as I wish. I can accept, and I can refuse,” Pendarovski said.