PRAGUE - Since 7 March 2025, the Office of the President of the Czech Republic has received another 168 applications for pardons. Vojtěch Šeliga, the spokesman of the Castle, informed about it when asked by the Czech News Agency. President Petr Pavel has not granted any new pardons since that date. The number of applications has thus exceeded 1 460 since he took office.
During his mandate, Czech President Petr Pavel has taken a very restrained approach to the institution of clemency. Since March 2023, when he took over from Miloš Zeman, he has granted pardons in two cases. Both decisions were made in March 2025 and were justified by the President on exceptional humanitarian grounds. In both cases, the applicants' serious health reasons were to be considered.
According to the data provided by the Castle, more than 1 300 applications had been received by the Office of the President by March of this year. Following the publication of the two pardons granted, the number of new submissions increased by another 168. This may indicate that the public perceives the March decisions as a possible opening to reconsider the strict approach of the head of state.
However, President Pavel has stressed in several public appearances that he will use the institution of clemency only in exceptional circumstances, especially if there is a serious failure of the judicial system or in the case of exceptional humanitarian circumstances. He thus rejected the approach of some of his predecessors, who granted pardons more frequently and in some cases controversially.
The institution of pardon is enshrined in the Constitution of the Czech Republic. The President may exempt an individual from serving a sentence or part of a sentence, or may expunge a conviction. The granting of pardon does not require the countersignature of the Prime Minister or any other member of the Government, thus it is a prerogative of the President of the Republic.
The Castle's data also shows that the vast majority of clemency applications are rejected or left unanswered. In addition to the written request, the President considers the opinion of the Minister of Justice, who gives his opinion on the case. However, this is not binding on the President's decision.
President Paul's current position confirms his emphasis on respecting the powers of the judiciary. "The President is not superior to the judiciary and must therefore exercise that power with the utmost caution," he said in an earlier statement. The Office of the President of the Czech Republic expects the number of requests to continue to increase, especially if individual cases are publicly publicized.
gnews.cz - GH
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