Supreme Court rules on Bissonnette sentence
The Supreme Court has ruled: it would have been unconstitutional to sentence mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette to 50 years without a chance at parole. He will have a chance at parole after 25 years. The original sentence had been 40 years without a chance at parole, but the Quebec appeal court had reduced it to 25. Then prosecutors pushed to have it increased to 50, which will not happen now.
Update: Justice minister David Lametti has tweeted a statement about his position: he’s evidently not thrilled, but the decision has been made.
Blork 11:56 on 2022-05-27 Permalink
…which does not mean he will GET parole.
Kate 13:07 on 2022-05-27 Permalink
No, and I doubt anyone is celebrating the decision, including members of that mosque, but given the human lifespan, 50 years without even the possibility is fairly considered cruel and unusual. It really is locking someone up and throwing away the key.
H. John 19:51 on 2022-05-28 Permalink
Yves Boisvert with another thoughtful piece:
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/chroniques/2022-05-28/contre-l-americanisation-de-la-justice.php
Kate 09:26 on 2022-05-30 Permalink
Thanks for that link, H. John. It’s a good one.