Georgian President pardoned 3,655 prisoners since 2013

President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili has pardoned 3,655 inmates since 2013.

In particular, President Margvelashvili pardoned:

• 71 in 2013
• 787 in 2014
• 1006 in 2015
• 834 in 2016
• 840 in 2017
• 117 in 2018.

1,645 out of those pardoned served their term for heavy crimes, while 1, 812 – for drug-related crimes.

The President is the only person authorised to pardon inmates in Georgia. He decides which inmates can be pardoned after a lengthy discussion by the President’s Pardon Commission. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge 

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

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 is then sent to the President.

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