Lazare Grigoriadis, a participant in the March 7-9, 2023 protests, has been released from N8 penitentiary in Gldani following a presidential pardon recently issued by President Salome Zourabichvili. Grigoriadis, who was sentenced to nine years in prison by Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Sharadze on April 12, walked out of prison to a warm reception from family members, relatives, and supporters.
Expressing gratitude for the pardon, Grigoriadis thanked the President and reiterated his commitment to the ongoing struggle against the foreign transparency bill, which was resubmitted by the ruling power last month.
He criticized the legislation, stating, "the Russian law tells the bottom of our democracy, and such laws must not be adopted."
Grigoriadis' release comes at a time of heightened political tension in Georgia, with civil protests continuing over the bill. The timeline of Grigoriadis' legal battle has been marked by various legal proceedings, including his initial arrest during the protests and subsequent court hearings.
Grigoriadis, an active participant in the protest against the Agents Law, was apprehended by law enforcement on March 29, 2023. Two days later, on March 31, he was remanded into custody by the court as a precautionary measure. Despite appeals, including one on April 8, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision to keep Grigoriadis detained.Legal battles ensued, with Grigoriadis' legal team initiating a lawsuit on June 26 against then-Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Georgian Dream chairman, current PM Irakli Kobakhidze, seeking compensation for alleged defamation. However, the court rejected this claim.
The situation took a grim turn on September 25, 2023, when Grigoriadis received a sentence of one year and six months for an incident that occurred two years prior: - the stabbing of his father, Beka Grigoriadis. Later, on November 22, the Ministry of Internal Affairs released a letter from police officers urging the President not to grant Grigoriadis a pardon.
Legal proceedings dragged on, marked by postponements. From January 15, 2024, to April 8, 2024, Judge Zviad Sharadze postponed the final court session three times. Finally, on April 12, 2024, Sharadze delivered the verdict: Grigoriadis was found guilty on both counts- for causing harm to law enforcement officers and damaging state property - and was sentenced to nine years in prison, just shy of the maximum penalty of 11 years.
This verdict coincided with renewed activity surrounding the very foreign transparency bill Grigoriadis and thousands of others had protested against in March 2023. On April 17, 2024, despite ongoing civil protests, the Parliament of Georgia proceeded to pass a slightly amended version of the draft law in its first reading.
The bill proposes the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets as "aligned with interests of a foreign power" if they receive over 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
