Argentina Supreme Court Ruling and Spain's Ábalos Sentence Define Conditional Release Rules

Argentina's Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) ruled that a person sentenced to life imprisonment has the right to know when they may request conditional release after serving 35 years. The majority decision, citing constitutional principles of rehabilitation and legality, declared part of article 14 of the Penal Code unconstitutional for aggravated homicide cases, as applied in the case of Juan Manuel Gómez, convicted of homicide criminis causa.

In Spain, former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, sentenced to 24 years for corruption, will not be eligible for the first temporary release until he has served at least a quarter of his sentence, projected for November 2030 when he will be 71. Under the General Penitentiary Law, conditional release requires serving three‑quarters of the term, meaning Ábalos could only be considered for parole at age 79, provided he meets classification and rehabilitation criteria.