Pardoning of Georgian oppositionists increases chances for release of Rurua

The clemency of the oppositional leaders, Irakli Okruashvili and Giorgi Ugulava, which was agreed with the leadership of the ruling party, will be followed by the release of the oppositionist Giorgi Rurua, the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have suggested.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 15, Georgian President, Salome Zurabishvili, signed a decree pardoning two convicted leaders of oppositional parties – Irakli Okruashvili, the founder of "Victorious Georgia" Party, and Giorgi Ugulava, the Secretary General of the "European Georgia" Party. When back at large, they announced that they would not fulfil the agreement to support changes in the electoral system in Georgia, unless Giorgi Rurua was also released.

The release of Giorgi Rurua from custody is a matter of time, Zaal Andjaparidze, a programme coordinator at the International Centre for Conflicts and Negotiations, has suggested. "Once the process has started, then the authorities won't like making additional mess. There will be some compromise," Mr Andjaparidze shared his opinion with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, assuming that Rurua could be released on bail.

A similar opinion was expressed to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent also by Valery Chechelashvili, the head of the "Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies". "There was no point in embarking on this road, if there was no intention to solve the problem to the end – to release Rurua," he said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 25, 2020 at 10:44 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.