No and Never: Georgian President on Granting Pardon to Mikheil Saakashvili

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, has reiterated her refusal to use her powers to grant a pardon to the country's third president, Mikheil Saakashvili. This was reported by Новости Грузия.

Zurabishvili advised the authorities to treat Saakashvili as a "special prisoner" and to take measures to prevent the deterioration of the former president's health, who is currently on hunger strike, from being used for "political manipulation."

"Since this issue is under discussion, I must say that my position regarding the pardon of the former president is firm and unchanging—'No and never.'"

According to her, the former president does not meet the criteria of a political prisoner or a victim of injustice. "He is a convict who entered Georgia voluntarily and illegally, with the intention of destabilizing the situation. That’s all I have to say on this matter; I will not return to it again," said Salome Zurabishvili.