President pardons 116 prisoners

President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili has pardoned 116 prisoners, 73 inmates will leave prisons today, while the remaining 43 will see their prison terms commuted. 

From the pardoned 73 prisoners four are women, the  head of the Pardon Commission Zviad Koridze has announced. 

Koridze added that between February 19 and 26 the commission studied 858 cases and recommended the president to pardon the 116 inmates.

The President’s Pardon Commission is composed of ten people including Koridze.

The Commission members are mainly lawyers from the civil sector, public figures, the Public Defender and a spiritual representative from Georgia’s Patriarchate.

The group must discuss all cases sent to the Pardon Commission by inmates or their families and decide which prisoners they believe deserve to be pardoned. The list then is sent to the President.

The President makes the final decision to pardon the inmates or not.