The judge for the Execution of the Sentence, Altagracia Esther Mejia, has rejected a request for parole for inmate Mario Jose Redondo Llenas, who is serving a 30-year sentence for the murder of a child, Jose Rafael Llenas Aybar in 1996. In her ruling yesterday, Wednesday 27 November, the judge said that society does not feel that amends have been made and continues to feel the pain caused by the incident that shook the Dominican Republic because of the way the crime was committed. The magistrate argued that it was the obligation of the judges to ensure that paroles are not a poor example of the Execution of the Sentence, which is detrimental to society.
“The collective interest should always come first according to what is expressed in article 32 of the Pact of San Jose, Costa Rica, by virtue of which the individual rights of the citizens are relinquished against the collective rights; for this reason this court believes that it is correct to deny a parole for the reasons mentioned.” She mentioned that she and the penitentiary system recognize that Redondo has been well behaved for the 17 years, 6 months and 19 days that he has been in prison and advised him to continue being cooperative with his companions. She called upon him to practice God’s love through reading and practice, so that on another occasion he might reflect on his attitude and show true remorse for the crime committed. The judge noted that on this occasion Redondo Llenas did not manage to convince the court of his remorse, “and moreover, for the fact that she has been able to establish in the course of the parole hearing that society does not feel that amends have been made and that society has not overcome the deep pain which was caused by the crime.”