Georgia's Chief Prosecutor's Office Launches Case Against Zurabishvili

The Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has initiated a case against President Salome Zurabishvili concerning a pardon decree issued in April, during which two murderers were released under unclear circumstances.

“The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has begun an investigation into potential abuses in the process of granting amnesty to convicts Ramaz Devadze, Aslan Bejanidze, and Zurab Nadiradze, among others,” reads a statement issued by the Prosecutor's Office.

Zurabishvili's decision to grant amnesty to 34 inmates became public on August 28. The decree faced sharp criticism upon the revelation that two murderers were among those pardoned.

At the same time, activists have pointed out the fact that the President of Georgia refused to grant amnesty to Archbishop Georgi Mamaladze, who was convicted of preparing the murder of the Georgian Patriarch's secretary.