“I want to make things very clear: as President of the Republic, I will never grant a single pardon to people convicted of domestic violence”, states Luís Marques Mendes in a video shared on his social media, on the day marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
At the beginning of the video, Marques Mendes highlights that, in addition to today marking 50 years since the military operation of November 25, 1975, the day is important “for another reason.”
“As a citizen, I am outraged by the numbers that are published and disseminated. This year, and we are far from the end of the year, there are already 19 victims of domestic violence, 16 of whom are women. These numbers are chilling. They are close to last year and previous years. This situation cannot continue”, he emphasizes.
Should he be elected President of the Republic next year, the former PSD leader commits to “alerting, warning, and mobilizing wills against domestic violence” and conducting “significant educational efforts.”
“All violence is unacceptable, but domestic violence is even more incomprehensible. Violence against women, violence against children, violence against the elderly”, he laments in the video.
Marques Mendes also assures that he will always make “a very firm speech” and appeal for “zero tolerance against domestic violence.”
“The society I am committed to helping build is one of humanism, solidarity, and social justice. We must combat all forms of inhumanity,” he concludes in the message.
The presidential pardon, granted annually in December, consists of a full or partial forgiveness of a sentence.
