TBILISI, January 19 – A ruling party lawmaker said on Monday that people detained during recent protests are unlikely to receive presidential pardons unless they admit guilt and show genuine remorse.
Levan Makhashvili, chair of the parliament’s European Integration Committee, told reporters that the president has clearly set conditions for granting pardons. According to Makhashvili, those conditions include acknowledging wrongdoing and expressing sincere repentance.
He said that, so far, he has not heard such statements from the individuals arrested during the protests. Still, he stressed that the final decision rests solely with the president.
Makhashvili underlined that the power to grant pardons belongs exclusively to the Georgian head of state. He said it is a constitutional right, and his personal opinion is not relevant in that regard.
When asked whether there had been consultations with President Mikheil Kavelashvili on the issue, Makhashvili said he had no information about any such talks and did not take part in any meetings related to potential pardons.
Freeing those detained during opposition protests has been one of the demands during nearly fifteen months of daily rallies. A popular singer last month called on the government to grant amnesty to those protesters in connection with New Year.
