President Pardons Opposition Leaders Ugulava, Okruashvili

Georgian  President Salome Zurabishvili has pardoned two leaders of the opposition, former Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava and former Minister of Defense Irakli Okruashvili, making the relevant statement at the special briefing on Friday evening. 

"I have decided to issue the Pardon Act to Ugulava and Okruashvili. Before their pardon comes into force, I would like to address the public, since my decision today will not be easy to understand and they may not even forgive me," the President said.

In her words, the above decision "Does not mean the release of political prisoners, but it aims to fully restore the democratic image of the country and get rid of the past." 

"I do not pardon political prisoners, because I declare with full responsibility that there are no political prisoners in Georgia today," Zurabishvili noted, adding that "A politician, who is serving a sentence for a serious crime, is not called a political prisoner, but just a guilty politician."

She emphasized that Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili have not been pardoned "at someone else's request, pressure or recommendation."

In recent days, several members of the European Parliament urged Georgian authorities to release "political prisoners." 

By Ana Dumbadze 

Related Story: MEPs Urge Georgian Authorities to Release “political prisoners”