[Lauchenoiria]

Kerlian News Service

International Edition

Prisoners to be released after anti-matriarchal activity pardons
25th October 2019

Over 200 prisoners convicted of Class 3.2 anti-matriarchal activity are set to be released after President Rebecca Arnott signed a law pardoning all individuals convicted solely of this crime. The Anti-Matriarchal Activity Act has also been amended to remove Class 3.2 activity from the list of criminal offences. This change now makes it legal to criticise the aims of the matriarchy in a private forum.

Of the prisoners set to be released, around 72% are male, and the vast majority have been serving their sentences, which range from 3 months to 10 years, in the lower classifications of prison, even before the passage of the prison reform bill. Prisoners are expected to be released within a week, and are entitled to financial compensation proportional to the amount of time spent in prison.

President Arnott, upon announcing the signing of the bill, said: “this marks a significant leap forward for Kerlile in terms of allowing greater freedom of expression, and moving closer towards the original goal of the Matriarchy, and away from the corrupted, oppressive version that has sadly been allowed to form under our noses. From this point on, I hope Kerlians will feel free to express discontent, so we can take the opinions of our citizens fully on board as we move forward and adapt to a changing society.”

The pardons have not been without controversy, however, with Councillors Nirmala Patel, Letitia Greenwood and Pauline Pierre raising objections, claiming that it would allow “potentially dangerous subversive elements” to be out on the streets, and that it would threaten the security of the Matriarchy. Councillor Greenwood said: “Class 3.2 anti-matriarchal activity is often a sign that an individual is becoming radicalised, and many of these people go on to commit terror offences”.

These pardons mark the fulfilment of one of the Reform Party’s “five pledges”, and is the fourth of the pledges to be fulfilled, alongside the closing of the Restricted Region, improved opportunities for men, and an end to forced labour in prisons. The only pledge left unfulfilled is number 3, which promised to end the emigration ban. Efforts to change this law were scrapped following the Trivian hack of Kerlian communication systems in August.