President Salome Zurabishvili has granted a pardon to Giorgi Shanidze, an activist who was recently sentenced to four years in prison for his involvement in protests against the Foreign Agents Law. This decision comes just days after Shanidze’s conviction, which many saw as an attempt to intimidate critics ahead of important elections.
Shanidze was arrested in May for damaging surveillance cameras and growing cannabis during the protests against the Foreign Agents Law. His supporters believed that the sentence was meant to set an example and discourage others from speaking out against the government.
The president’s administration announced the decision on September 20, but did not reveal the identity of the pardonee. The statement simply stated that the individual was “fully released from the subsequent serving of the prison sentence in a penitentiary institution.”
Shanidze was released from prison on the same night and expressed his surprise at the decision. While he admitted to the offense, he believed that the punishment was too severe.
This is not the first time that President Zurabishvili has pardoned an activist who was sentenced for protesting against the Foreign Agents Law. In April, she granted a pardon to Lazare Grigoriadis, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police officer and setting fire to a police car during the March 2023 protests. Grigoriadis maintains his innocence.
It is worth noting that this is the second time that the president has pardoned an activist who was sentenced for protesting against the Foreign Agents Law. This decision raises questions about the government’s treatment of dissent and the use of excessive punishment to silence critics.
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