
The Parliament, during its plenary session, discussed and approved the "Amnesty Law" initiated by the "Georgian Dream" faction in its third reading with 84 votes in favor.
The issue was presented at the session by the Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, Rati Ionatamishvili.
"The Amnesty Law is a balanced proposal that serves as a practical expression of the principle of humanitarianism while also taking into account the interest of public safety, minimizing the risks of deteriorating criminal situations and the recurrence of crimes", - Rati Ionatamishvili stated.
"Following the adoption of the Amnesty Law, over 1,000 prisoners will leave penitentiary institutions. Overall, the amnesty will affect more than 5,000 prisoners in various forms. Additionally, this initiative is important for individuals under probation; it will affect approximately 22,000 probationers, of which 7,000 will be released from the probation system immediately after the law is passed. Ultimately, complete or partial relief from punishment will apply to crimes covered under nearly 300 articles of the Criminal Code", - R. Ionatamishvili added.
The draft law mandates the submission of the victim's consent for certain crimes, specifying a deadline and procedure for doing so. Additionally, for some crimes, the application of amnesty is conditional on the absence of prior convictions for intentional crimes.
The law provides for the following forms of amnesty: full exemption from criminal liability and punishment; reduction of the sentence by 1/2, 1/4, and 1/6; and, for probationers, a one-year reduction of conditional sentences.
It is worth noting that the "Amnesty Law" does not apply to individuals convicted of murder, drug trafficking, sexual offenses, robbery, terrorism, corruption and official misconduct, organized crime, conventional crimes, and certain other serious and particularly severe crimes.