Ruling party announces large-scale amnesty

The ruling Georgian Dream party has announced a large-scale pardon. 

The amnesty is expected to cover 44 articles and individuals who committed crimes before December 11, 2020. 

The amnesty will not concern serious crime like murder and domestic violence. 

The bill offers several preconditions for the release of convicts who had damaged others' properties. 

The convicts will have to pay for the damage or they will need the consent of victims to be released. 

Having no previous crime record will be a precondition for leaving prison for several crimes, head of Parliament's Human Rights Committee from the ruling party Mikheil Sarjveladze has stated earlier today. 

The amnesty will concern hundreds of inmates,” Sarjveladze said. 

Opposition continues to demand Rurua's release. Photo: IPN. 

He stated that the amnesty will cover drug crimes (not drug trafficking) and three lifetime inmates convicted for drug crimes. 

We are opening consultations with all interested parties regarding the bill,” Sarjveladze said. 

Other articles which will be amnestied are as follows: damage to health, counterfeit, violation of labour safety rules, violation of customs’ rules, illegal shipment or sale of counterfeit items, negligent storage of firearms, violation of safety rules during mining, construction or other work, illegal fishing, illegal hunting and others. 

The bill also says that state fines issued before October 1, 2012 will be annulled (if the fines are still unpaid or are partly paid). 

Sarjveladze said that the amnesty is unlikely to concern the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Giorgi Rurua who was convicted for illegal possession and wearing of firearms earlier this year. 

The leader of the European Georgia opposition party Gigi Ugulava said that all amnesties in previous years also concerned the illegal possession and wearing of firearms. 

He said that if Rurua will not leave prison per the amnesty ‘it will mean that the amnesty is only to justify the sins of the ruling party.’