‘Inmate Pardoning Policy should be Reviewed’ – Saakashvili

President Saakashvili said the rule how inmates were pardoned should be “reviewed” as “great, serious part” of those who had been pardoned “returned to the criminal life.”

He made the remarks after visiting two policemen in hospital on September 16, who were stabbed by a criminal suspect earlier on the same day. The third policeman, who was also chasing the same criminal suspect, was also stabbed, who died in hospital. It emerged later, that the suspect, who was arrested on the same day, was pardoned in December, 2008.

“This bandit, criminal was released from prison last year,” Saakashvili said. “It makes me sure that we should review the policy of pardoning because it is the fact that statistic is not consoling. Many of those, who have been pardoned, took the right path and it means that pardoning should continue, but there is a great, serious part, who return to the criminal life and pose a threat to the society.”

Saakashvili made similar remarks back in July, 2007, when he said that he would use his right of presidential pardon “in a much more restricted manner.”

Speaking with journalists on September 16, Saakashvili also said that because “media outlets shouted so many times that the police should not use arms”, the policemen, he said, became hesitant to use firearm when it is needed. Saakashvili said that although excessive use of force was inadmissible by the police, but this recent case when three policemen were stabbed, was the situation when the police should have used firearm to protect themselves.

Saakashvili also said that if the policemen would have used firearm and killed the criminal suspect, he was sure some would have portrayed the suspect as “an innocent victim of the state terror.” Here Saakashvili made a reference to the opposition’s criticism of the police for the use of excessive force in some cases, which led to fatal results.

“Media outlets shouted so many times that police should not use arms and anytime, when police used firearm, the policemen themselves were blamed [by the opponents for fatal results]; they [opponents] hold rallies under the banner of ‘our innocently killed guys’ – if this bandit was killed today, they [the opponents] would have posted the banner of this ‘innocent victim of the state terror’ on one of their protest rallies,” Saakashvili said, making a reference to the banner, which was posted on the opposition’s protest venue outside the Parliament during the recent street rallies in April-July, and showing pictures of Amiran Robakidze, Sandro Girgvliani and some others.

“Let the life of this policeman be on the conscience of those, who post such banners,” Saakashvili added.

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