22:50, 29 March 2010

President of Georgia plans to pardon convicts

President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili has signed a resolution about a large-scale pardoning of convicts. This was stated by Giya Arsenishvili, chairman of the parliamentary committee for human rights. It is planned to pardon the prisoners who serve their terms for medium- and light-gravity crimes.

According to Mr Arsenishvili, the pardon commission has already received about 200 applications, of them 7 - from minors; there are also applications from several women.

The "Georgia Online" reports with reference to the chairman that the sitting of the pardon commission will take place a couple of days before the Easter.

Within the next few days, the commission on early conditional relief will send the list of persons to be pardoned for approval to President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, the GHN reports.

Eka Kherkheulidze, a member of the commission, said, in her turn, that applications from 350 prisoners had been received.

The list of would-be pardoned inmates will become known within the next few days. According to her version, the list will most probably include women and minors.