Georgian Parliament approves Amnesty bill
Georgian Parliament approves Amnesty bill

The Georgian Parliament approved the draft Amnesty Law at the third reading on Monday. Eighty-three deputies backed the bill.

“More than 6 000 probationers and 4 000 persons, fined following criminal conviction before October 1, 2012, will fall under the amnesty,” the bill initiator, Mikheil Sarjveladze, said.

The Amnesty bill envisages the release of inmates convicted for property damage, theft, forgery, some types of bodily harm, etc. It also applies to inmates imprisoned for life and drug-related crimes, except for drug trafficking.

Before the bill was approved, the movement Shemakhe Amnistia (Grant Me Amnesty) members held a rally in front of the parliament building.

Protesters demanded a one-quarter reduction in the sentence terms for all prisoners and a meeting with the Amnesty bill initiator Mikheil Sarjveladze.