President Zurabishvili has pardoned Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili, she said this in her statement at an extraordinary briefing.
"I have decided to grant paroles to Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili. Before these paroles go into effect, I want to address the public who may fail to accept my decision easily and may even refuse to forgive me. I just want to make sure that everyone understands I am not pardoning political prisoners as I am confident that Georgia does not have any political prisoners today. Today, we all reside in a democratic state.
Neither am I pardoning innocent people as guilty remains guilty: they are just absolved of their guilt rather than crimes. I am not reconsidering court verdicts either by pardoning them. No one has pressured or coerced me into taking this decision. Democratic elections will be held in Georgia, and no one can change this," Zurabishvili declared.
Former Mayor of Tbilisi was charged with embezzlement and arrested on 10 February 2020. He was sentenced to three years and two months in prison.
Irakli Okruashvili, the leader of the Victorious Georgia party was accused of organizing violence, leading, and participating in it. He was arrested on 25 July 2019 and sent to jail for 5 years.
