Georgia: "No and never" - Georgian President Zourabichvili on granting pardon to Saakashvili

У вашего броузера проблема в совместимости с HTML5

Follow us on Telegram:
https://t.me/s/ruptlynews

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said she would never grant a pardon to sentenced ex-country leader Mikhail Saakashvili during a televised address to the nation in Tbilisi on Wednesday.

“My position about granting a pardon to the former president [Saakashvili] is unequivocal and unchangeable - no and never. I will never come back to this issue again. The former president [Saakashvili] does not meet the criteria of either a political prisoner or an innocent victim. He came to the country voluntarily and illegally. The purpose of his arrival was destabilisation,” she stated.

However, Saakashvili should be considered a ‘special prisoner’ due to high public and political interest, Zurabishvili stressed.

“This requires special attention from the penitentiary administration and the authorities and need of taking all measures so that his deteriorating condition cannot bring about political speculation or the attempts to destabilise [the country],” she added.

The former president was detained on 1 October. He had previously been placed on the domestic wanted list in connection with the murder of banker Sandro Girgvliani and the beating of MP Valery Gelashvili, for which he was sentenced in absentia to three and six years of imprisonment respectively.

While in jail, Saakashvili went on hunger strike, describing himself as a political prisoner. Supporters of the ex-president collected signatures on a petition addressed to the Georgian president and government demanding the former leader’s release.

SOT, Salome Zourabichvili, Georgian President (Georgian): “Since this question is being discussed, I must once again say that my position about granting a pardon to the former president [Saakashvili] is unequivocal and unchangeable - no and never. I will never come back to this issue again. The former president [Saakashvili] does not meet the criteria of either a political prisoner or an innocent victim. He came to the country voluntarily and illegally. The purpose of his arrival was destabilisation. Despite this matter and due to high public and political interest, he should be considered a special prisoner, and this requires special attention from the penitentiary administration and the authorities and need of taking all measures so that his deteriorating condition cannot bring about political speculation or the attempts to destabilise [the country].”

#Georgia #Saakashvili #Zourabichvili

Video ID: 20211103-069

Video on Demand: https://ruptly.tv/videos/20211103-069
Contact: [email protected]

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ruptly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ruptly