Opposition Slams Shevardnadze for Remarks on Death Penalty

(Tbilisi, August 21, 2003, Civil Georgia) – Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze raised concern over yesterday?s statement by President Shevardnadze about the death penalty.

At a government?s meeting on August 20 President Shevardnadze said ?if it were not for the problem of the Council of Europe, Georgia should never have banned the death penalty.? He demanded that the law be made stricter to reduce the crime rate.
 
?We are rejecting the [democratic] values of which we were very proud several years ago. I remember very well that Shevardnadze himself was very proud, that the death penalty was abol!
ished just during his presidential term. The law does not need to become more strict in order to eradicate the syndrome of impunity in the country. We have the laws strict enough to punish the guilty. They only need to be enforced by the relevant bodies,? Nino Burjanadze said at the August 21 parliamentary session.

?Very often the court’s ruling is not correct and in the case of the death penalty nothing can be improved, while the current law implies life imprisonment for the guilty, which is quite enough,? the Parliamentary Chairperson added.

Giorgi Baramidze of the United Democrat opposition party said ?it is alarming when the President considers the Council of Europe to be a problem.?
 
Abolishment of the death penalty was the Council of Europe?s recommendation. Georgia joined the organization in 1999. The last death penalty was “executed” in Georgia in 1995.

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