Chile President Kast Faces Political Fallout Over Reduced Sentences for Child Sex Offenders

A scandal erupted in Chile after the Justice Ministry applied 56 administrative decrees that reduced prison terms for 27 individuals convicted of sexual abuse and 29 convicted of rape of minors, with several offenders already freed. The reductions, carried out from March to September 2026, sparked widespread condemnation from the public, the Office of the Children's Ombudsman and politicians across the spectrum. Justice Minister Fernando Rabat argued the cuts complied with a legal procedure for inmates showing good conduct who were sentenced before February 2022, a rule he said the Supreme Court required, though reports dispute any such mandate.

Opposition legislators have called for Rabat’s resignation and are preparing possible impeachment, while Senate President Paulina Núñez announced plans to amend the law to protect vulnerable victims. President José Antonio Kast publicly accepted responsibility, ordered a halt to further reductions and tasked Rabat with correcting the process, amid a drop in his approval rating to 29% and a surge in disapproval. Experts warn the episode threatens Kast’s political identity, especially as he prepares humanitarian pardons for former Pinochet-era officers, raising doubts about his administration’s commitment to child protection.