GEORGIA/FILE: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili vetoes amnesty bill that would release prisoners jailed under his rule including about 200 people defined as political prisoners by his opponents

Record ID: 643551

  • Title: GEORGIA/FILE: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili vetoes amnesty bill that would release prisoners jailed under his rule including about 200 people defined as political prisoners by his opponents
  • Date: 28th December 2012
  • Summary: TBILISI, GEORGIA (DECEMBER 27, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE BY NIGHT
  • Embargoed: 12th January 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Georgia
  • Country: Georgia
  • Topics: Crime,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAQY28W9OBYDJ6NHOSO8TPH1V8
  • Story Text: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili vetoed on Thursday (December 27) a bill that would free 3,500 prisoners, some considered political prisoners by the parliament dominated by his opponents, adding to a bitter power struggle in the former Soviet republic.
    Georgia's parliament last week passed an amnesty law that would release many prisoners jailed under Saakashvili, whose party was ousted by an opposition coalition led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili in an October 1 election.
    Ivanishvili became a prime minister after the vote, forcing a difficult cohabitation between the president and new parliament controlled by his rivals.
    Saakashvili said he disagreed with parliament's decision to define 200 inmates as political prisoners and release them under the amnesty law -- along with others whom he described as hardened criminals.
    "The Georgian parliament announced that there are 200 political prisoners in Georgia What do we want to tell the world? By doing so we are at least declaring that we are not a serious country, and if someone takes this seriously it means that we are like North Korea, Burma, Belarus and the 1970s' African Idi Amin-type of dictatorship combined," Saakashvili told a meeting with students on Thursday.
    "Then it is done either out of spite against me - and I can more or less understand it - or because of direct orders from Russia, and I'd like to say that I will veto this part (of the bill)," Saakshvili said.
    Parliament needs 89 votes to override the president's veto, and the current parliamentary majority will have enough votes to do so.
    Saakashvili's move appears to add to a power play between him and the new prime minister.
    "So I am vetoing this amnesty of paedophiles and I will let the parliament override the veto and let the parliament take the political responsibility for releasing paedophiles, coup plotters and Russian spies, but I, as a person of sound mind, will definitely not sign it. I want to tell this to each of them (parliament members)," Saakashvili said.
    Since the election a raft of former government officials have been arrested, accused of abuse of power and other crimes.
    "We have a very clear position of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the Venice Commission, because of the fact that the issue is so controversial, the Georgian government has to wait for the opinion of the Venice Commission before this article on political prisoners is included in the general amnesty," David Bakradze, Saakshvili's United National Movement minority leader and former parliament speaker, said.
    The West has warned Ivanishvili, a political novice, not to lead a witch-hunt of officials loyal to Saakashvili, who in turn is criticized by opponents for monopolizing power, mistreating critics and trampling on human rights.
    Prisoners to be freed under the bill include those convicted for high treason, taking part in military riots, spying for Russia as well as robbery, fraud, theft, drugs and minor crimes, although critics of Saakashvili say many were victims of political persecution.
    The law also calls for cutting the prison terms of more than 12,000 other criminals jailed for grave crimes.
    Since first rising to power as a leader of the 2003 "rose" revolution, Saakashvili curbed petty corruption and implemented liberal economic reforms.
    But he also cracked down on street protests against his rule, drawing accusations from opponents that he was resorting to authoritarian methods such as using police to punish critics.
    Critics have voiced concerns over what they call heavy-handed tactics in Georgian jails under Saakashvili. A video showing torture, beating and sexual assault of prisoners was broadcast shortly before the election, triggering street protests that eventually helped Ivanishvili to win the vote.
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