14:20, 9 June 2014

Relatives of hunger-striking life convicts hold protest in Tbilisi

Today, Tbilisi hosted an action in support of a group of life-long prisoners who went on hunger strike demanding to reconsider their cases and spread the amnesty law adopted by the Georgian Parliament on December 21, 2012, on them.

The action was held in front of the governmental chancellery, the "Georgia Online" Agency reports.

The action was attended by about 50 people, who held posters reading: "Give a chance to life prisoners!" and "Restore justice for illegally convicted!"

The protesters handed in a letter on behalf of the convicts to the chancellery addressed to Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, which reports that a week ago a hunger strike was announced by 47 prisoners of Gldani Prison No. 8 inTbilisi and several inmates of Prison No. 6 inRustavi.

The convicts demand either acquittal or leniency. "One of the hunger-strikers expressed his protest by nailing his hand and foot to a chair," said a lawyer Gela Nikolaishvili, one of the protesters.

See earlier reports: Georgia's Ombudsman reports refusals to admit rights activists to jails, Georgian President pardons 95 prisoners by the Easter, Georgian Ombudsman offers Parliament to set up commission on cases of ex-political prisoners.