By Hassan Abderamane

On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Justice Minister and Keeper of the Seals, Ndolenodji Alixe Naïmbaye, presided over the official ceremony for the collective remission of sentences for convicts at the Klessoum Remand and Correctional Facility, pursuant to Decree No. 2151/PR/2026.

The ceremony took place within the facility’s premises and was attended by the Public Prosecutor at the N’Djamena High Court, the President of the N’Djamena High Court, the Attorney General at the N’Djamena Court of Appeal, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice, as well as heads of defense and security forces and civil society representatives.

In total, 150 prisoners were released under Decree No. 2151/PR/2026.

In her address, Justice Minister Ndolenodji Alixe Naïmbaye paid tribute to the Head of State, who, for reasons of humanity and fairness, decided to extend his clemency to citizens subject to final and enforceable criminal decisions. “For the Marshal of Chad, every citizen deserves competent, swift, accessible, and equitable justice,” she stated.

The Justice Minister recalled that, stemming from sovereign magnanimity, the pardon is a regal privilege provided for in the constitution. It is often used by the President of the Republic in numerous circumstances in favor of thousands of convicts whose sentences are either fully remitted or substituted with lighter penalties. It is in this context, and always mindful of the fate of compatriots in conflict with the law, that Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic and Head of State, in his capacity as father of the nation, issued Decree No. 2151/2026 of August 14, 2026, granting collective remission of sentences. The Minister welcomed this act, stating: “An act imbued with humanism and compassion, which we solemnly execute today, is certainly more than an event—it is a highlight where some of our compatriots with final ordinary-law convictions will benefit from a partial and staggered reduction of their custodial sentences, or even release.”

The immediate application of the legal scale set by this regulatory text results in the automatic release of one hundred and fifty (150) detainees whose residual sentences are now fully served.

The Justice Minister emphasized that this decision meets the fundamental requirements of public policy on justice and prison administration in several respects. On the one hand, it stems from a stated desire for humane detention conditions and a pragmatic adjustment of sentence enforcement; on the other hand, the measure reflects targeted but positive clemency.

Ndolenodji Alixe Naïmbaye also recalled that this sentence measure applies exclusively to the criminal penalty of imprisonment and cannot erase the rights of the State, civil parties, or third parties.

She then affirmed, on behalf of the government, the determination of her department to continue modernizing justice institutions and consolidating the rule of law with the support of partners, whose constant commitment she also acknowledged.

It is worth recalling that during the ceremony, release certificates were handed to the now former detainees who benefited from this pardon under Decree No. 2151/PR/2026, marking a moment of joy and emotion before the event concluded with a group photo to immortalize the occasion.