The President or President’s administration must provide additional arguments about the process, by whose initiative and base on what arguments this pardoning took place, –  Georgia’s Public Defender Nino Lomjaria commented about the fact of pardoning by President of prisoners.

The Public Defender says pardoning is the president’s prerogative, but human rights law and the Strasbourg court’s case say that the state’s punishment should not be unreasonably lenient in murder cases.

“If we do not get the answers from the President, what arguments were the basis for pardoning, of course, the investigation should take an interest in this” – Nino Lomjaria said.

Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili pardoned Aslan Bezhanidze, a person convicted for the murder committed in 2004. Bezhanidze was detained in 2016. He was wanted for 12 years. Bezhanidze was acquitted based on the decisions of Tbilisi City and Appeals Court. The Supreme Court found Bezhanidze guilty and imposed imprisonment with a term of 6 years and 9 months.

Bezhanidze was released from the penitentiary facility on August 28, Virgin Mary Day. President pardoned 34 prisoners in connection with Virgin Mary Day including a convict charged for the murder of a police officer.