Just a quick note to close the loop on the Sabrina De Sousa case, which I discussed in greater detail here.  On the day before she was to be extradited to Italy from Portugal, Italian President Sergio Mattarella partially pardoned De Sousa and reduced what was left of her seven-year sentence for kidnapping to a three-year sentence; the Prosecutor in Milan then revoked the extradition request to Portugal. Because of the reduction in sentence, De Sousa can petition to have her sentence served through means other than detention (e.g., community service). A European Union directive allows for the alternative sentence to be completed in Portugal, although she has indicated she might return to Italy to do her community service.

On February 28, 2017, an Italian Presidential Statement indicated that the pardon was appropriate given:

the attitude of the sentenced party, the fact that the United States has discontinued the practice of extraordinary renditions, and the need to weigh her penalty with that of others convicted of the same offence.

De Sousa was slated to be the only defendant to serve jail time for her involvement in the extraordinary rendition of Egyptian cleric Osama Mustapha Hassan Nasr, a.k.a. Abu Omar (she did spend a little over a week in detention in Lisbon awaiting extradition). Sousa herself, and former Michigan Representative Pete Hoekstra (Rep.) who has been serving as a spokesperson for De Sousa, indicated that the Trump Administration had intervened on her behalf, but the White House declined to comment. (Hoekstra chaired Trump’s Michigan campaign and used to be on the House Intelligence Committee, so he’s likely to be on a first-name basis with Flynn, Pompeo, et al.). The State Department indicated only that it welcomed the pardon.

President Donald Trump is slated to visit Italy in May 2017 for the G7 Summit.

Image: Getty

About the Author(s)

Send A Letter To The Editor

Read these related stories next:

The Trump Administration’s Recent Removals to El Salvador Violate the Prohibition on Transfer to Torture

by and

Mar 20th, 2025

Confronting Challenges to the Prosecution of Enforced Disappearances Before Domestic Courts

by

Jan 30th, 2025

Italy, Libya, and the Failure of State Cooperation with the International Criminal Court in the Elmasry Arrest Case

by

Jan 30th, 2025

Syria Needs the International Criminal Court

by

Jan 27th, 2025

The Wagner Group in Court: Justice Is Catching Up with Russia’s Top Irregular Warfighters

by

Dec 17th, 2024

A Model Leahy Law Legal Memo on Assistance to Israeli Security Forces

by

Dec 12th, 2024

Sudan’s War Victims Survived Killings; Now They Face Starvation

by

Nov 27th, 2024

Abu Ghraib Torture Survivors’ Landmark Win Gives Hope for Alien Tort Statute Cases

by

Nov 20th, 2024

How Much (or How Little) Does the Biden Administration Want Justice in the 9/11 Case?

by and

Nov 18th, 2024

Physicians and the Push for Accountability for Alleged Abuse of Gazan Prisoners Detained by Israel

by and

Oct 22nd, 2024

Revoking the 9/11 Plea Deals: Human Rights Consequences

by

Aug 16th, 2024

Justice for Trans-border Torture Requires Rethinking the International Criminal Court’s Jurisdiction in the Israel-Palestine Conflict

by and

Aug 7th, 2024