Czech court approves conditional release of longest-serving inmate

A Czech court has approved the conditional release of the country’s longest-serving inmate — a brutal murderer who narrowly escaped the death penalty when it was abolished after the fall of communism. Zdeněk Vocásek, later renamed Navrátil, was the first person in Czechia to receive a life sentence.

On Friday, the District Court in Most set a seven-year probation period for Vocásek, requiring him to spend time in a probation house in South Bohemia before moving to his permanent residence. He has already served 38 years and five months behind bars.

The state prosecutor has appealed the decision, so Vocásek remains in prison while the Regional Court in Ústí nad Labem reviews the case. If the appeal is rejected, the 64-year-old could be released within weeks.