Georgian President Pardons Five Inmates

President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili has pardoned five inmates regarding the Christmas earlier today.

"The last year’s pardon act triggered a certain stir in the community, after which my pardon was temporarily suspended until the new criteria were developed. On the one hand, we were guided by existing international practices to develop the criteria, and on the other hand, we consulted with relevant agencies. As a result, a new rule of pardon was developed. New criteria are tighter for serious crimes such as murder, recidivism, domestic violence, child abuse, drug trafficking, etc., though they are lighter for light offenses. I set these criteria for myself because no one else would limit the discretionary powers of the President under the constitution. I must reiterate that pardon, as it is established in democratic countries, must have the form of exception, it cannot be a judicial correction mechanism, or stand above the court. By fully adhering to the new pardon criteria and taking into account all the circumstances, the Pardon Act has been adopted, it provides the pardoning of 5 persons. I must emphasize that this list, as in the case of the last year, was formed under my sole responsibility," Zurabishvili said at a briefing.

Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze is not among the pardoned inmates.

The Holy Synod requested the President to release the Arch on November 8.

Mamaladze was detained in September 2017 for allegedly plotting the murder of a high-ranking clergy member of the Georgian Orthodox Church and sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment, being found guilty by the Tbilisi City Court. 

By Ana Dumbadze 

Related Story: President Refuses to Pardon Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze