In Tbilisi, opposition demands releasing political prisoners

On March 25, in Tbilisi, at the building of the Ministry for Punishment Enforcement, an action was held by the opposition with a demand to release political prisoners and illegal detainees.

The action was organized by the Movement "For Fair Georgia" of ex-premier Zurab Nogaideli, People's Party of Koba Davitashvili and Conservative Party of Zviad Dzidziguri.

Under the statement of the participants of the action, the Ministry for Punishment Enforcement, Probation and Legal Aid keeps thousands of persons in illegal custody. "The institution of conditional early relief is practically abolished: it should have covered a certain share of prisoners, but the Ministry would not release them. Prisons keep not only political prisoners, but also illegal inmates," said Koba Davitashvili.

According to his story, although in certain cases early relief takes place - it is applied only to supporters of the authorities.

Mr Davitashvili said that "some of the detainees are accused under criminal articles, but this does not change the essences, as the underlying reasons of charges are political," Radio Liberty reports.

About one hundred of picketers have stuck portraits of political prisoners near the building of the Ministry. Among other, the posters show Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, son of the first President of Georgia, son and brother of oppositionist Eka Beseliya and political scientist Vakhtang Maisaya.

Nobody went out of the Ministry to talk to the participants of the action.

The opposition promises to make such actions traditional and to hold them every week until they gain their target, the MRTK "Mir" reports.

The Georgian opposition assures that there only 54 officially registered political prisoners; "in fact more than one thousand inmates are illegally kept in prisons."