For Georgia opposition ready to back Gov’t proposed amnesty if it includes agents’ law opponents, excludes Saakashvili

The For Georgia opposition party announced on Tuesday that it is prepared to support the Georgian Dream ruling party’s proposed amnesty, provided it includes citizens arrested and fined for protesting against the foreign influence transparency law and explicitly excludes former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Natia Mezvrishvili, a leader of For Georgia, said at a briefing that Georgian Dream must clarify that the amnesty will not apply to Saakashvili. If these conditions were met, the opposition party claimed it was willing to discuss supporting the amnesty initiative.

“Our team, For Georgia, urges Georgian Dream to include those prosecuted, fined, and arrested for nonviolent protests against the Russian law [in reference to the foreign influence transparency law] in the announced amnesty,” Mezvrishvili said.

“Amnesty is a humanitarian act, and we support it when it alleviates the situation of the accused fairly. However, any amnesty must be just. It is unfair for the amnesty to apply to individuals who have committed real crimes while excluding those whose only ‘crime’ was fighting for a European future.”

Mezvrishvili highlighted the need for the amnesty to be carefully considered to avoid increasing crime rates. She cited recent incidents, including an attack on a Glovo courier and the fatal beating of a 19-year-old by neighborhood gangs, as evidence of rising violence and disorder.

“The government has made people feel unsafe. Therefore, any amnesty must not be at the expense of further increasing crime and deteriorating citizens’ security,” she said.

Mezvrishvili, the former deputy Interior Minister, also called on Georgian Dream to provide a reliable study ensuring the amnesty decision did not compromise public safety, include those affected by the foreign influence law, and provide full legal rehabilitation for these individuals.