President Klaus pardons 13 on eve of festive season

President Václav Klaus has issued pardons to 13 people on the eve of the Christmas holiday. Mr Klaus’s spokesman said in most cases the pardons had been granted for humanitarian reasons. Among the recipients was a woman found guilty of attempting to stab her husband to death; she had an eight-year jail term rescinded on the grounds that she had been repeatedly physically abused by her partner. Four foreigners were pardoned; as well as seeing their convictions overturned, the four have had expulsion orders quashed and can now remain in the Czech Republic. Some have criticised the tradition of presidential pardons as a relic of feudalism.

Author: Ian Willoughby