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Czech president's mass prison amnesty sparks controversy
Outgoing Czech President Vaclav Klaus' decision to grant amnesty to nearly one in three prisoners has drawn protests and raised concerns in legal circles. Klaus, who is due to step down in March, announced the move in a new year's message on Tuesday, as a gesture to mark 20 years of independence.

Some 3,000 inmates have already been freed, with more than 4,000 expected to join them in the coming days. Everyone serving a term less than one year is eligible for release, as are all prisoners over the age of 75, as long as their sentence was less than 10 years.

The justice ministry said judges were ready to work around the clock to implement the pardon because they will have to visit each of more than 30 prisons and assess every prisoner who may qualify for release.

Klaus explained, "This is a gesture aimed at giving a fresh chance to those citizens who may have broken the law but who are not repeat offenders."

Iva Brozova, the head of the Czech supreme court, said she feared the move might undermine the rule of law. She said she could not see the justification for a mass amnesty but admitted that the president was entitled to take the decision.

The opposition are demanding a vote of no confidence in center-right Prime Minister Petr Necas because he supported the mass pardon. They are particularly angry because the amnesty also means that several big financial fraud cases will now stop because court proceedings have lasted for more than eight years.
So move a little more quickly in the future...
Social Democrat politician Jiri Dienstbier - son of the late former dissident of the same name - called President Klaus's decision "unacceptable and incomprehensible".
Unacceptable maybe, but perfectly understood...

Posted by: ryuge 2013-01-04
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=359352