Court in Most rejects release of Zdeněk Navrátil, the Czech Republic's longest-serving prisoner
The court in Most on Thursday rejected the conditional release of Zdeněk Navrátil, sentenced to life imprisonment for two murders. He has spent nearly 40 years in prison.
Czech Republic's longest-serving prisoner remains behind bars after court rejects release again
Zdeněk Navrátil, the Czech Republic's longest-serving prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment for two murders, will remain in prison. The court in Most on Thursday rejected a proposal for his conditional release, according to Blesk.cz. Navrátil has been behind bars for nearly 40 years.
The court refused to accept a guarantee offered on behalf of the convicted man by the Legal State Society. The association Oikia, which originally provided the guarantee, subsequently withdrew it.
Navrátil, originally with the surname Vocásek, had repeatedly applied for release. The district court in Most granted his application in September of last year, but the regional court overturned this decision in December. Navrátil participated in the public hearing via videoconference from the prison.
The judge stated that the situation had changed compared to the previous year. The second of three statutory conditions for conditional release — proof of rehabilitation — was not met according to the court.
Source: Blesk.cz