12 January 2013, 15:00
Chairman of Georgian Parliament signs Law "On Amnesty"
Today, David Usupashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, has signed the law that provides a large-scale amnesty of prisoners throughout the country.
At the today's press conference, David Usupashvili has emphasized that this is the first case in the history of Georgia, when the Parliament managed to overcome the veto that was imposed to the law by the President of the country.
David Usupashvili has stated that the actions of the Georgian Parliament and the law enforcement bodies will be directed to ensure to simplify the return to normal life for former prisoners, the "News-Georgia" reports.
Representatives of the parliamentary opposition have expressed a negative response to the signing of the law. Goka Gabashvili, one of the leaders of the "United National Movement", has publicly compared the large-scale amnesty with the announcement of surrender and called it a betrayal of the interests of the state, the "Tbilisi Week" reports.
The law will come into force at tonight midnight. Within two weeks, the Ministry of Corrections will send the cases of prisoners to the courts. The courts are to consider the cases within two months, the "Trend" reports.
