Civil activists protest amnesty bill in front of parliament
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Civil activists have gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi to protest the amnesty bill that is scheduled to be submitted next week.
The recent EU-proposed agreement, signed by the Georgian political parties, obliges them to ‘initiate an amnesty law for all violations and convictions stemming from the 19-21 June 2019 protests’.
Opposition politicians who have signed the agreement including Girchi-More Freedom, Strategy Aghmashenebeli and Lelo say that the law will not concern the law enforcers who have violated their duties during the June protest two years ago.
The signatories of the agreement will enter the state legislature on April 27 to submit an amnesty bill.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the recent EU-proposed agreement between the political forces in Georgia during a phone conversation with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili.
US Ambassador Kelly Degnan says that it is completely up to the United National Movement opposition party leader Nika Melia whether or not he leaves prison.
Opposition parties which have signed the EU-mediated agreement with the ruling Georgian Dream party will enter the state legislature on April 27 to submit an amnesty bill. Six Georgian political parties and several individual MPs signed the proposal by the European Council President Charles Michel on April 19 to solve the political tension in Georgia which began after the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The European Council President Charles Michel will visit Georgia in the afternoon to meet with the leaders of the political parties who signed his proposal yesterday in Tbilisi to solve the political tension in the country which began following the 2020 parliamentary elections. The proposal by Michel covers electoral and justice reforms, offers pardon for all violations and convictions stemming from the 19-21 June 2019 protests and the conduct of repeat parliamentary elections in 2022 if the ruling party fails to receive at least 43 per cent of votes in this year’s municipal elections.
Currently imprisoned head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia is ready to post bail and leave prison if parliament will not register the amnesty bill for convictions stemming from the June 2019 protests in Tbilisi, according to the recent EU-mediated agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition.
Ambassadors of the European Union and the United States Carl Hartzell and Kelly Degnan have sent a joint letter to the civil activists injured during June 20, 2019. Hartzell and Degnan say that as Georgia’s partners, they have worked ‘to help end an extended political crisis emanating from the parliamentary elections 2020.
The Parliament of Georgia has started discussions of an amnesty bill concerning the June 2019 protests. The bill was initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party and was discussed during the first hearing last week.
Before the first hearing of the bill, the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition were unable to come to an agreement on the amnesty bill, initiated according to the EU-mediated agreement signed by the ruling party and the majority of political parties back in April 2021.
Civil activists are protesting the adoption of an amnesty bill by the Georgian parliament stipulated by the April 19 EU-mediated agreement for the June 2019 protests that were sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament. Georgian parliament adopted the bill earlier today with 79 votes in favour and 15 votes against it.
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted a fourth complaint from the Human Rights Center (HRC) regarding a case of the June 2019 Tbilisi protests which were sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament. "The case named Berikashvili vs Georgia has already been registered by the court. A citizen affected by the (Georgian) Interior Ministry’s raided demonstration demands the establishment of violations of Articles 3, 10, 11 and 13 of the European Convention,” the HRC reports.