RFK’s widow says Sirhan Sirhan should not be released from prison

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, says his assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, should not be released from prison after prosecutors decided not to oppose his parole last month.

Ethel Kennedy made the comment in a statement shared to Twitter by her daughter Kerry Kennedy.

“Bobby believed we should work to ‘tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of the world.’ He wanted to end the war in Vietnam and bring people together to build a better, stronger country. More than anything, he wanted to be a good father and loving husband,” Ethel Kennedy said.

“Our family and our country suffered an unspeakable loss due to the inhumanity of one man. We believe in the gentleness that spared his life, but in taming his act of violence, he should not have the opportunity to terrorize again,” she continued.

At the end of the statement, Ethel Kennedy hand-wrote “he should not be paroled.”

Please read and share my Mom’s statement. He should not be paroled. pic.twitter.com/AdHUwh9L2n

— Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) September 7, 2021

Sirhan, 77, was convicted of the killing of Kennedy in 1968 after the New York senator and then-Democratic presidential hopeful gave a speech after winning a California primary.

Sirhan was granted parole late last month after spending 53 years behind bars. Prosecutors in Los Angeles did not oppose granting him parole and were not present at the hearing.

Six of the couple’s children have condemned the decision.

In a statement issued after the ruling, Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy and Rory Kennedy said they “adamantly oppose” releasing Sirhan.

“We urge the Parole Board staff, the full Board, and ultimately, Governor Newsom, to reverse this initial recommendation. It is a recommendation we intend to challenge every step of the way, and we hope that those who also hold the memory of our father in their hearts will stand with us,” they said.

But two other Kennedy children, Douglas Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have signaled that they favored releasing Sirhan.