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Czech Republic: controversial pardon

January 16, 2013

More than 7,000 prisoners in the Czech Republic are set for an early release thanks to a controversial pardon signed by outgoing president Vaclav Klaus shortly before the end of his term. Tens of thousands have protested the move.

https://p.dw.com/p/17LPp

Nearly every third prisoner is expected to walk free, including inmates with less then a year to serve of their sentence and those over 70 years old. The overflowing prisons are likely to benefit most from the pardon. But many Czechs are outraged that so many criminals are escaping punishment for their misdeeds.