geguti prison camp

Geguti prison camp. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Nearly a hundred prisoners have been pardoned in Georgia, partly in relation to the New Year celebration.

Most of the prisoners who are being freed or have their sentences reduced were pardoned by the president’s pardon commission; one of two such bodies in Georgia.

The commission pardoned 84 prisoners, 63 of whom will leave jail today, after the president approved the decision.

The president habitually pardons prisoners on special occasions, such as New Year or Easter.

This time, one of the 63 pardoned who are leaving jail on Tuesday is a woman and one is a minor, according to Zviad Koridze, who chairs the president’s pardon commission.

The remaining 21 had their sentences reduced. One is a woman and four are minors.

Koridze said at a press conference on Tuesday that the commission considered 493 cases.

A day before, on Monday, the Prison Ministry announced the release of seven minors. The ministry’s parole commission boards together with lawyers representing the minors discussed the cases during two sessions held on December 15 and December 29.