President approves average pensions for pre-1989 dissidents

Communist-era dissidents will start receiving average old-age pensions from next year, regardless of their contribution to the system, under an amendment signed by President Petr Pavel on Wednesday.

The change applies to around 1,900 people certified for having resisted the Communist or Nazi regimes. They should see their pensions increase to a minimum of CZK 20,635.

Recently former dissidents protested outside the Office of the Government over the fact many of them have been receiving relatively low pensions, often related to their mistreatment before 1989.