IL wants to hear Nuno Melo in parliament about mandatory military service as an alternative penalty

The Liberal Initiative today requested the hearing of the Minister of Defense in parliament for having admitted compulsory military service as an alternative penalty for young people who commit minor crimes, considering that they are “unspeakable” statements that must be clarified.

In the request, to which the Lusa agency had access, the Liberal Initiative (IL) indicates that, at an event organized by the PSD this Friday, Nuno Melo stated that compulsory military service “would not be considered”, but admitted that he was considering “study ways to attract more young people to the Armed Forces”.

“Speaking of possible solutions, he stated that military service could be an alternative for young people who commit petty crimes, instead of being placed in institutions that, ‘in most cases, only function as a school of crime for life’” , the document reads.

IL states that the Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco, confirmed that Nuno Melo “spoke on behalf of the entire Government”, and adds that the president of the Bar Association, Fernanda de Almeida Pinheiro, also admitted that military service can “ be recommended as a substitute penalty, instead of the payment of a pecuniary penalty”.

“Considering the importance of the debate on the recovery of our Armed Forces, it is urgent that the Government clarify the Assembly of the Republic about its vision, as well as what structural solutions it is considering”, argues IL.

For IL, “it is imperative to clarify the statements made by the Minister of Defense and supported by the Minister of Internal Administration, in order to clarify the Government’s commitment to using entry into the Armed Forces as a penalty and, if so, under what terms this solution is being considered.”

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“It must be understood that this is a possibility that the Government is really studying and not just an isolated and thoughtless statement by Nuno Melo. The Armed Forces must be treated with dignity. The way forward is not to convert them into reformatories for small criminals”, says Rui Rocha.

This Monday, the Minister of Internal Administration agreed that compulsory military service could be an alternative for young people who commit petty crimes, similar to what Nuno Melo had defended.

Speaking to journalists at the end of a seminar, Margarida Blasco said that the Minister of Defense “obviously spoke on behalf of the entire Government”.

“What we have to admit is that all solutions are the Government’s intention to implement them, adapting them to the current contexts which, as you know, are very demanding”, said the minister.

The minister’s statement comes after Nuno Melo defended, at Universidade Europa, a political training initiative by the PSD, that military service could be an alternative for young people who commit petty crimes instead of being placed in institutions that, “in the main In most cases, they only function as a school of crime for life”, while stating that there are no political conditions to re-impose compulsory military service.