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Notes -
There is some amount of precedent to pardoning (or more likely commuting sentences) of perceived political prisoners. Carter rather famously
pardonedcommuted the sentences of the Puerto Rican nationalists who "attempted to assassinate President Truman" and "sprayed gunfire from a gallery overlooking the House of Representatives". Obama commuted Manning's sentence.Honestly pretty much all application of the pardon and commutation powers are some combination of nepotism and corruption (Clinton pardoned his brother, among others) and politically principled overturning of perceived injustices.
Carter did not pardon them; he commuted their sentences, and it was not because they were "perceived political prisoners" -- in the article you link, that claim is explicitly rejected by everyone involved.
Well, yes, because that doesn't leave much in the way of other reasons for the application of those pardons. The question is what percentage is each
Whoops, I knew it was supposed to be "commuted" but must have been in too much of a hurry when typing the original comment to notice. Thanks for correcting that!
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