Since Pavel granted first pardons, Castle has received over 420 additional requests

Since July 30, 2024, when President Petr Pavel granted his first four pardons, the presidential office has received 426 pardon requests by the end of the year. No additional pardons have been granted since. In the final two months of 2024, the number of requests rose by nearly one-third.

Through pardons, the president has the authority to halt criminal proceedings, reduce or forgive sentences, or expunge convictions. Among Czech presidents, Václav Havel made the most extensive use of this power, granting 1,247 pardons and an additional 601 during his tenure as federal president. Václav Klaus issued 412 pardons, while Miloš Zeman granted 26, 17 of which occurred during his second term. In comparison, the last Communist president, Gustáv Husák, issued 2,028 pardons in 1988 alone.