Ruling party MPs defend presidential pardon, accuse opposition of political agitation

Parliamentary majority members have defended the President’s decision to issue a pardon act and criticised opposition media for creating unnecessary tension.

Irakli Kadagishvili on Tuesday said the release of pardoned inmates, starting this morning, followed standard legal procedures and is neither “inhuman” nor “extraordinary.” He called speculation about the timing “the greatest inhumanity” and accused the opposition of using the issue to fuel societal division.

Levan Machavariani, first deputy chairman of the Georgian Dream faction, said the pardon is a humane act for inmates who acknowledge their crimes, adding that opposition groups aimed to polarise society by exploiting families of the prisoners who had been convicted for their participation in antigovernmental protests. 

Deputy Speaker Nino Tsilosani said yesterday’s media campaign ignored the procedural reality that inmates themselves must request pardons and noted that no such applications had been submitted by those involved.