Bolsonaro Pardons Policemen Who Killed 'While Doing Their Duty'

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro Thursday approved a pardon in favor of police and military officials who are in prison convicted of having killed "unintentionally" in the exercise of their functions.

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"A police officer must complete his mission and then go home to rest without waiting for notification from a judicial officer," he said.

The pardon will also benefit State's security agents who have been convicted of criminal acts committed on their days off and whose intention was to "eliminate an existing risk" to themselves, or to a third party.

Prisoners with "serious health conditions" such as AIDS and certain types of cancer patients will be also reprieved. Last year, Bolsonaro granted a general pardon but it excluded "a series of crimes considered serious", such as robbery after death, rape, terrorism, and drug trafficking. 

The pardon for security agents who kill in the exercise of their duties has been defended by Bolsonaro for decades and was included in a security bill sent to Congress last year, which finally vetoed the article. 

Last week, Bolsonaro announced a new bill on the same subject, while calling the press and human rights organizations opposing the measure "hypocritical".

The right-wing president has repeatedly defended the use of force to punish crime, thus justifying police brutality and the disproportionate use of force.