President Sauli Niinistö has rejected all applications for criminal pardons this year, according to daily Helsingin Sanomat.
HS reported on Monday that Niinistö did not exercise his power to free any inmates this year. He denied all fifty applications that came across his desk in 2019, saying that none of them fulfilled the criteria for a presidential pardon.
"I have used the right to pardon in situations where the circumstances in a convict's life, relating to health or family for instance, have significantly and substantially changed. That was not the case in any of this year's applications," Niinistö said.
The Supreme Court of Finland (KKO) provides an official statement on the pardon applications as a basis for the president's decision, though the president may override these recommendations. The Supreme Court did not recommend any criminals for pardon in 2019.
Niinistö has used his power to pardon offenders far more sparingly than previous presidents, giving special consideration to just two people in 2018 and a total of twenty people during his seven years in office. The number of clemency applications from prisoners has also gone down, from over 300 in the 1980s and 90s to fewer than one hundred in recent times.
Historic powers may shift
President Mauno Koivisto pardoned about fifty people per year in the 1980s. His successor Martti Ahtisaari pardoned some thirty people annually, and Tarja Halonen pardoned an average of twenty criminals each year she was in office.
This is the first time in at least 56 years that not a single prisoner was offered clemency, secretary Johanna Nyberg from the Ministry of Justice told HS.
"Presidents of Finland have offered at least one pardon every year since 1951, until now. We could not find any instances of zero-pardon years before that," Nyberg said.
The Constitution Act of 1919 grants the president the power of pardon. However, Niinistö has stated consistently that he believes special pardons should be within the purview of the Supreme Court instead. His position is still the same, he said.
"It's not a top priority, but if the Constitution comes under scrutiny in some other context, this is a feature that should be addressed."
The President's Office website describes the appeal process.
"In an individual case, the President of the Republic can remit a sentence or other criminal penalty imposed by a court. The President cannot waive obligations based on public or civil law, such as taxes, maintenance payments or bank loans. Anyone can submit a petition for a pardon, which does not require the consent of the person to whom it applies."
