CHILE · JUSTICE
Chile’s justice minister, Fernando Rabat, rejected at least 22 sentence reductions between June and October 2026 even though the Sentence Reduction Commission, the panel that approves them, had agreed to them, according to an investigation published on 12 November by CIPER, a Chilean investigative news outlet. Rabat told a special session of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, on 28 October that the law obliged his ministry to ratify what the commission approves.
Key Facts
- Power Index Chile ranks 3rd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 62.9 points (November 2026 edition).
- Claim CIPER reports the ministry rejected at least 22 commission-approved sentence cuts for other crimes.
- Context Chile’s justice ministry approved 56 cuts for people convicted of child sexual abuse, saying the law left no choice.
- Status Not independently confirmed by us.
- As of Friday 13 November 2026, 06:30 GMT.
What CIPER Reports
CIPER says the 22 cases involved crimes such as homicide and drug trafficking, and that it found them in ministry decrees and court records. It says the ministry in these cases acted against the argument Rabat gave Congress, that the law left no choice, when it approved the 56 cuts for child sex offenders.
We have not independently confirmed the 22 cases, and CIPER’s account is the only one we found. The ministry’s response to the report is not known.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Chile’s justice minister tell Congress?
Fernando Rabat, the justice minister, told the Chamber of Deputies on 28 October 2026 that the law obliged his ministry to ratify cuts the Sentence Reduction Commission approves. He gave this as the reason the ministry approved 56 cuts for child sex offenders.
How many cuts did the minister reject, according to CIPER?
CIPER reports at least 22 commission-approved cuts rejected between June and October 2026, for crimes such as homicide and drug trafficking. We have not independently confirmed that count.
Sources: CIPER Chile investigation of 12 November 2026 (ciperchile.cl); Chamber of Deputies special session of 28 October 2026 (camara.cl).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error