U.S. Senator Suggests Georgian President to Pardon Rurua, Zurabishvili Declines

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair James Risch said on July 30 that he “remains very concerned” about sentencing Giorgi Rurua, pro-opposition Mtavari Arkhi TV shareholder, “on spurious charges.”

Risch told Voice of America (VoA) Georgian that “a legal system should never be used to fulfil political aims.”

“As she did earlier with Giorgi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili, President Zurabishvili should pardon Mr. Rurua in the interest of depolarizing the political climate as elections near,” noted the U.S. Senator.

“I am very glad that the needed revisions to the Georgian electoral system have been made, and look forward to seeing free and fair elections take place this October. However, elections can only be free and fair if political parties can operate free from fear of political prosecution,” Senator Risch concluded.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili stated on July 31 that she will not pardon Rurua. “Georgian society knows everything about him and it also knows why I will not pardon him,” Zurabishvili noted.

“Nothing and no one can influence my decision,” the Georgian President concluded.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)