Old woman sentenced for growing hemp pardoned

Olga Vladimir, the 75-year-old woman who was sentenced to four years in jail for growing hemp, was pardoned by Acting President Mihai Ghimpu, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communique from the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Moldova. About 200 hemp plants were found in the woman's garden. The police officer responsible for Teleseuca village started a legal case against the woman. In January 2009, the court sentenced her to four years' imprisonment. Earlier, Olga Vladimir was given a suspended sentence over a similar offense. Recently, Olga Vladimir started to complain she feels unwell and cannot get to the prison's canteen. She asked the authorities to let her die on the outside. She said she never sold hemp as she used it to make home remedies for herself.