By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US President-elect Donald Trump has criticised outgoing President Joe Biden for commuting the sentences of nearly all federal prisoners on death row, describing the decision as senseless.
“Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform.
“When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!”
On Monday, Biden announced that he was commuting the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment. Among those spared execution were individuals convicted of heinous crimes, including nine who murdered fellow prisoners, four involved in fatal bank robberies, and one who killed a prison guard.
However, three inmates were excluded from the clemency: one of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombers, the perpetrator of the 2018 synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, and a white supremacist responsible for the 2015 Charleston church shooting that left nine Black parishioners dead.
Biden explained his decision by reaffirming his stance against the death penalty. “Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” he said.
“But guided by my conscience and my experience… I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
Biden had previously imposed a moratorium on federal executions during his term but faced mounting pressure to act decisively before leaving office on January 20. Trump has signalled his intention to resume federal executions upon taking office.
