PRAGUEThe Czech Senate on Monday charged the country's departing president with treason and petitioned the Constitutional Court to impeach him in connection with a sweeping amnesty that freed a quarter of prison inmates and ended prosecutions of some alleged criminals. It is the first time a president in this young democracy has faced such charges. If convicted, 71-year-old President Vaclav Klaus, whose term ends Thursday, would be barred from running again for the officesomething he otherwise would be able to do beginning in 2018. Czech voters, frustrated by perceptions of pervasive government corruption, reacted with outrage after Mr. Klaus in January ordered the release of more than 6,000 of the country's 23,000 prisoners and halted criminal cases against scores of defendants in long-running trialsincluding some facing charges of bribery, fraud and embezzlement. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324178904578340192542126424.html
