Lelo–Strong Georgia leader Mamuka Khazaradze has been released from Rustavi Prison following a pardon issued today by Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili. Alongside Khazaradze, his party colleague Badri Japaridze was also pardoned.

As Mamuka Khazaradze told reporters after his release from prison, the pardon decision was unexpected.

“I want to thank everyone — acquaintances and especially strangers — who supported and encouraged us during this time. Today’s decision was absolutely unexpected. Badri Japaridze and I made our choices consciously, as we do not agree with the current situation in the country. This is an illegitimate, hijacked parliament and a hijacked presidential office. Although I feel gratitude for our release, it is still a shameful and very dirty act when our comrades remain imprisoned under the same article, for the same so-called crime.

We absolutely did not expect to be released today. We were waiting for the eight-month term to expire, but they freed us only for one reason: to cause confrontation, which will not happen. What the so-called president did today is legal nonsense — manipulation of people’s freedom, trampling on the law.

I say directly: if in the coming days the so-called president does not release the remaining political prisoners held under the same article, this will be yet another major exposure of how Ivanishvili and the Georgian Dream, through their president, use Georgian legislation for personal interests. It will be another clear example for the democratic world that these people must be removed from power as quickly as possible,” Khazaradze said.

The two Lelo leaders were arrested on June 23 by a court decision. The Tbilisi City Court sentenced them to eight months in prison and barred them from holding public office for two years for failing to comply with the request of the Georgian Parliament’s temporary investigative commission.