Justice Ministry executes collective sentence remission at Klessoum prison
Chad’s Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, and Minister of Human Rights, Ndolenodji Alixe Naïmbaye, led the official ceremony for the collective remission of sentences at the Klessoum Remand and Correctional Facility on Wednesday, 16 September 2026. The event, held under Decree No. 2151/PR/2026, resulted in the immediate release of 150 detainees.
The ceremony took place inside the prison compound and was attended by the Public Prosecutor at the N’Djamena High Court, the President of the N’Djamena High Court, the Prosecutor General at the N’Djamena Court of Appeal, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice, as well as senior officers of the defence and security forces and civil society representatives.
In total, 150 inmates walked free under the terms of the presidential decree, which grants a collective remission of penalties for eligible convicts.
Minister praises presidential clemency as a humane and equitable act
In her address, Minister Naïmbaye paid warm tribute to the Head of State, who she said had decided, on grounds of humanity and fairness, to extend his clemency to citizens subject to final and enforceable criminal rulings. “For the Marshal of Chad, every citizen deserves competent, swift, accessible, and equitable justice,” she declared.
The Minister recalled that the pardon is a sovereign prerogative enshrined in the constitution, often exercised by the President in favour of thousands of convicts whose sentences are either fully remitted or replaced with lighter penalties. It was in this spirit, she explained, that Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic and Head of State, acting as the father of the nation, issued Decree No. 2151/2026 of 14 August 2026 on collective remission of sentences.
She described the measure as “an act steeped in humanism and compassion, whose execution we solemnly carry out today. More than an event, this is a high point where some of our fellow citizens with final convictions under ordinary law will benefit from a partial and staggered reduction of their custodial sentences, or even release.”
Immediate application of the legal scale triggers automatic releases
The immediate application of the legal scale set by the decree led to the automatic release of 150 detainees whose remaining sentences were thereby fully served.
Minister Naïmbaye stressed that the decision responds to fundamental requirements of public justice policy and prison administration on several levels. On one hand, it reflects a firm commitment to humane detention conditions and a pragmatic adjustment of sentence enforcement; on the other, it represents targeted but positive clemency.
She also emphasised that the remission applies exclusively to the criminal penalty of imprisonment and cannot erase the rights of the State, civil parties, or third parties.
Government reaffirms push for judicial modernisation
Speaking on behalf of the government, the Minister reaffirmed her department’s determination to continue modernising judicial institutions and consolidating the rule of law, with the support of partners whose constant engagement she also acknowledged.
During the ceremony, release certificates were handed to the former detainees who benefited from the pardon under Decree No. 2151/PR/2026. The event ended on a joyful and emotional note with a group photograph to immortalise the moment.
