The presidents right to grant pardons may be restricted. The recommendation is given by Ucha Nanuashvili, Public Defender of Georgia.
Nanuashvili says that each amnesty act should be based on human principle, though it must be in certain frameworks.
"When a prisoner doesnt admit his crime, granting pardon to him should be determined by other criteria, unlike the prisoners who find themselves guilty and ask for forgiveness, the Public Defender said.
Nanuashvilis recommendation is shared by some NGOs, too. Kakha Kozhoridze, chairperson of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association, says that by amendments to the Presidents order, the president said "I can pardon everyone despite any criteria and I can release anyone whenever I want to.
"This is the authority the president has now. It, of course, needs some regulations, Kozhoridze explaines.
Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani also believes that granting pardons needs to be reformed. She says that the procedure of giving amnesty acts to the president to sign should be more precise and transparent.
"I dont support the idea to divide prisoners into two categories: those who can be amnestied and those who cannot. No, I think the president should be able to grant pardon to anyone but the procedure of getting the amnesty lists to the presidents table must be improved, the minister said.
Tsulukiani also says that the amnesty commissions decisions should also be regulated somehow and they should send the president the lists of those prisoners who actually deserve to be granted pardon. Then the president will decide whether to sign it or not.
"The main thing is that we now have a wise and state-thinking president and anti-state actions, such was Bacho Akhalaias case, is impossible from him, Thulukiani said.