Parliament Speaker: repentance must precede any discussion of pardons

Georgia’s Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, has said any discussion about pardons should be preceded by repentance from those accused of attempting to overthrow the state.

Speaking to journalists, Papuashvili said forgiveness, both in national and church tradition, must come after expressions of remorse.

“Before anyone speaks about pardons, they should speak about repentance,” he said.

Papuashvili questioned whether there was “repentance among those people who tried to burn individuals alive with Molotov cocktails, attempted to set the Georgian Parliament on fire and tried to overthrow the country”.

The Parliament Speaker also noted that the issue of pardons was not within his authority.

His comments come amid ongoing debate in Georgia over detained protesters and opposition figures, following anti-government demonstrations and clashes with police in 2024-2025.