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After having spent two decades in prison for the murder of her four babies, Australian Kathleen Folbigg said that the pardon that was granted after the review of her case is a "victory for science and especially the truth," she said in a video testimony published on Tuesday.

Folbigg was pardoned and released on Monday after a review of her case - reopened following an investigation coordinated by a Spanish scientist that linked the deaths to genetic failures - found "reasonable doubts" about her criminal responsibility.

Folbigg, 55, said in the video, about 30 seconds released Tuesday to the press, that she feels "extremely humbled" and "grateful" for the pardon received and her release.

In the images, Kathleen is seen inside the farm of her friend and fierce defender Tracy Chapman with a bouquet of flowers as she narrates her crossroads and thanks those who have always supported her. "Today is a victory for science and especially for truth," says Folbigg, with a calm and sometimes smiling countenance.

She adds that the memory of her four babies has always accompanied her throughout the two decades she was behind bars. "For the last 20 years that I've been in prison I've always thought and will always think about my children, I'll cry for my children and I will miss them and love them dearly," Folbigg said.

Folbigg was sentenced in 2003 to 40 years in prison, reduced to 30 years in 2005, for the deaths of her children (Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura) between 1989 and 1999, when they were between 19 days and 18 months.

But his case was reopened last year, after the publication in the specialized journal Europace of the scientific research led by the Spanish immunologist Carola García de Vinuesa, which linked a genetic mutation (CALM2) of two daughters of Folbigg, Sarah and Laura, with sudden cardiac death, as well as found that the children carried rare variants of a gene.

After leaving prison the day before, Folbigg enjoyed his first night in freedom of small pleasures, such as eating pizza and sleeping in a bed, while adapting to new technology such as smartphones, Tracy Chapman told reporters Tuesday.

  • Australia

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