California Governor Gavin Newsom has commuted the death sentences of 548 inmates on the state's death row to life in prison.
"Now we can let these criminals die in obscurity, while we forever remember and honor the victims," he wrote in Exodus.
The decision to halt executions in a country that has not executed anyone since 2006 is largely symbolic. However, according to experts, it could save millions of dollars annually in legal fees. Since 1978, when voters reinstated the death penalty in California, only 13 inmates have been executed in the state.
This decision comes at a time when the name of Gavin Newsom, the Democratic leader of the most populous country in America, has been proposed as one of the possible candidates of the Democrats in the presidential elections in 2028.
Mr. Newsom's term is coming to an end due to legal restrictions and he is spending the last months of his term in that role. 📷 Reuters.