President Zurabishvili to pardon inmates on Orthodox Christmas in January
After being elected as president Salome Zurabishvili banned the activity of a 11-member Pardon Commission, which was earlier responsible for discussing the cases of inmates requesting the presidential pardon. Photo: President's press office
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Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili will issue a pardon decree on Orthodox Christmas on January 7 after a several-month moratorium on acts of amnesty.
Zurabishvili earlier declared a moratorium on pardoning prisoners in September, following turmoil surrounding the pardon of inmates convicted for premeditated homicide
After being elected president, Zurabishvili shut down the activity of the 11-member Pardon Commission, which was earlier responsible for discussing the cases of inmates requesting presidential pardon.
Instead President Zurabishvili proposed changes to the rules of pardoning and called for the active involvement of the Ministry of Justice.
Zurabishvili refused to name the people who helped her make decisions regarding the recent pardons in the absence of the commission, stating that “it is not my style to shift blame onto others.”
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation looking into possible misuse of authority in the pardon cases of former convicts Ramaz Devadze, Aslan Bezhanidze, Zurab Nadiradze and ‘others.’ All of the three individuals, convicted for murder, have been pardoned by President Salome Zuravbishvili.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has declared a moratorium on pardoning prisoners until all rules and procedures are clarified. In doing so Zurabishvili is responding to recent turmoil surrounding two pardons of inmates convicted for intentional murder.
Ruling Georgian Dream party members say that legal changes are needed to specify all the procedures and preconditions for the presidential pardon of inmates.
The statements come after two scandalous pardons by President Salome Zurabishvili, one when she pardoned a man who was sentenced for the murder of a police officer and another, which took place two weeks ago, when a man also convicted for murder was pardoned.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has pardoned 34 individuals, including one minor and eight women on the Day of the Virgin Mary today. As of today, President Zurabishvili has pardoned a total of 97 individuals since December 17, 2018.