TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) pardoned 80-year-old Lin Liu Long-tzu (林劉龍子) on Thursday, sparing her from prison after she suffocated her paralyzed son following decades of caregiving.

The Presidential Office said Lai invoked Article 40 of the Constitution and Article 3 of the Amnesty Act to grant a pardon in an “exemption from sentence but not guilt” format. It cited extenuating circumstances in a long-term family tragedy and said people in similar situations deserve more assistance.

Lin single-handedly cared for her severely disabled son for more than 50 years until exhaustion after contracting COVID-19 in 2023 led her to suffocate him. The act resulted in a Taipei District Court sentence of two years and six months handed down in January.

Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said Lai reviewed the legal criteria and motive, deeming the case worthy of mercy. It marked Lai’s first pardon since taking office.

The Ministry of Justice delivered the pardon certificate to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday afternoon, and it was handed to Lin around 4 p.m. UDN reported that when Lin was notified of the pardon, she expressed thanks but had no comment for the media.