Outgoing Czech President Vaclav Klaus came under fire Thursday for decreeing a mass amnesty for thousands of convicted or suspected criminals, including some jailed or on trial in major fraud cases.<\/p>\n
Around 7,400 inmates out of a total of 23,000 were due to be released following the decision taken by the head of state on the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s independence.<\/p>\n
“Each amnesty should have a transparent philosophy. But in this case, I am still trying to find it,” the head of the Czech supreme court, Iva Brozova, told reporters.<\/p>\n
The amnesty mostly applies to people given sentences of less than a year and those aged over 75 who have been sentenced to less than 10 years in jail.<\/p>\n
The amnesty will also put a halt to legal proceedings that have been going on for more than eight years, provided that the possible sentence is not more than 10 years.<\/p>\n
“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,” Klaus explained in the Dnes newspaper.<\/p>\n
The Czech press on Thursday highlighted several controversial cases that would be affected by the amnesty.<\/p>\n