“We were neither imprisoned nor released based on our request – this was a decision by ‘Georgian Dream,’” said Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of “Lelo – Strong Georgia,” to journalists after leaving the Rustavi penitentiary facility.
According to him, he learned about the pardon after completing his “walk in a 16-square-meter space.”
“I want to say one thing: we were neither imprisoned nor released based on our request. Therefore, this was a decision by ‘Georgian Dream’—both our imprisonment and our release. To be frank, this morning, after finishing my daily 10:00 AM walk in a 16-square-meter space at 11:00, when I returned from the walk, I was told that Mikheil Kavelashvili had issued a pardon decree,” Badri Japaridze stated.
For reference, Mikheil Kavelashvili pardoned the leaders of “Lelo – Strong Georgia,” Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze. Kavelashvili explained his decision by stating that he wanted to ensure no one is left with the impression that the local self-government elections are being held under conditions of limited competitiveness.
As a reminder, the leaders of “Lelo – Strong Georgia,” Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, were detained at the party’s office on June 23. Their detention was based on a decision by Judge Zviad Sharadze, who found both leaders guilty of failing to comply with the demands of the Parliament’s temporary investigative commission.
They were sentenced to eight months of imprisonment and banned from holding office for two years.
Badri Japaridze: We were neither imprisoned nor released based on our request – this was a decision by ‘Georgian Dream’
