diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index e86fce18..0852a360 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 Fail2Ban: Changelog
 ===================
 
-ver. 0.9.6 (2016/XX/XX) - wanna-be-released
+ver. 0.9.6 (2016/12/10) - stretch-is-coming
 -----------
 
 0.9.x line is no longer heavily developed.  If you are interested in
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ releases.
   induced a subsequent error: last position of log file will be never retrieved (gh-795)
 * Fixed a distribution related bug within testReadStockJailConfForceEnabled
   (e.g. test-cases faults on Fedora, see gh-1353)
-* Fixed pythonic filters and test scripts (running via wrong python version, 
+* Fixed pythonic filters and test scripts (running via wrong python version,
   uses "fail2ban-python" now);
 * Fixed test case "testSetupInstallRoot" for not default python version (also
   using direct call, out of virtualenv);
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ releases.
 * `filter.d/dovecot.conf`
     - Fixed failregex ignores failures through some not relevant info (gh-1623)
 * `filter.d/ignorecommands/apache-fakegooglebot`
-    - Fixed error within apache-fakegooglebot, that will be called 
+    - Fixed error within apache-fakegooglebot, that will be called
       with wrong python version (gh-1506)
 * `filter.d/assp.conf`
     - Extended failregex and test cases to handle ASSP V1 and V2 (gh-1494)
@@ -57,11 +57,11 @@ releases.
       (gh-1586, gh-1606 and gh-1607)
 
 ### Enhancements
-* DateTemplate regexp extended with the word-end boundary, additionally to 
+* DateTemplate regexp extended with the word-end boundary, additionally to
   word-start boundary
-* Introduces new command "fail2ban-python", as automatically created symlink to 
+* Introduces new command "fail2ban-python", as automatically created symlink to
   python executable, where fail2ban currently installed (resp. its modules are located):
-    - allows to use the same version, fail2ban currently running, e.g. in 
+    - allows to use the same version, fail2ban currently running, e.g. in
       external scripts just via replace python with fail2ban-python:
       ```diff
       -#!/usr/bin/env python
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c2ef6c70..998e43e2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
                         / _|__ _(_) |_  ) |__  __ _ _ _  
                        |  _/ _` | | |/ /| '_ \/ _` | ' \ 
                        |_| \__,_|_|_/___|_.__/\__,_|_||_|
-                       v0.9.5                  2016/07/15
+                       v0.9.6                  2016/12/10
 
 ## Fail2Ban: ban hosts that cause multiple authentication errors
 
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ Optional:
 
 To install, just do:
 
-    tar xvfj fail2ban-0.9.5.tar.bz2
-    cd fail2ban-0.9.5
+    tar xvfj fail2ban-0.9.6.tar.bz2
+    cd fail2ban-0.9.6
     python setup.py install
 
 This will install Fail2Ban into the python library directory. The executable
diff --git a/RELEASE b/RELEASE
index 6ad9b52d..b879fa20 100644
--- a/RELEASE
+++ b/RELEASE
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Preparation
 
   or an alternative for comparison with previous release
 
-     git diff 0.9.5 | grep -B2 'index 0000000..' | grep -B1 'new file mode' | sed -n -e '/^diff /s,.* b/,,gp' >> MANIFEST
+     git diff 0.9.6 | grep -B2 'index 0000000..' | grep -B1 'new file mode' | sed -n -e '/^diff /s,.* b/,,gp' >> MANIFEST
      sort MANIFEST | uniq | sponge MANIFEST
 
 * Run::
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ Preparation
 
 * clean up current directory::
 
-    diff -rul --exclude \*.pyc . /tmp/fail2ban-0.9.5/
+    diff -rul --exclude \*.pyc . /tmp/fail2ban-0.9.6/
 
   * Only differences should be files that you don't want distributed.
 
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Preparation
 
   * To generate a list of committers use e.g.::
 
-      git shortlog -sn 0.9.5.. | sed -e 's,^[ 0-9\t]*,,g' | tr '\n' '\|' | sed -e 's:|:, :g'
+      git shortlog -sn 0.9.6.. | sed -e 's,^[ 0-9\t]*,,g' | tr '\n' '\|' | sed -e 's:|:, :g'
 
   * Ensure the top of the ChangeLog has the right version and current date.
   * Ensure the top entry of the ChangeLog has the right version and current date.
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ Preparation
 * Tag the release by using a signed (and annotated) tag.  Cut/paste
   release ChangeLog entry as tag annotation::
 
-    git tag -s 0.9.5
+    git tag -s 0.9.6
 
 Pre Release
 ===========
diff --git a/fail2ban/version.py b/fail2ban/version.py
index 57aa3c28..194918d7 100644
--- a/fail2ban/version.py
+++ b/fail2ban/version.py
@@ -24,4 +24,4 @@ __author__ = "Cyril Jaquier, Yaroslav Halchenko, Steven Hiscocks, Daniel Black"
 __copyright__ = "Copyright (c) 2004 Cyril Jaquier, 2005-2016 Yaroslav Halchenko, 2013-2014 Steven Hiscocks, Daniel Black"
 __license__ = "GPL-v2+"
 
-version = "0.9.5"
+version = "0.9.6"