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Rustavi-2 TV, Georgia
Jan 25 2013
Release of ethnic Armenian activist sparks debate among Georgian politicians
The release of ethnic Armenian activist Vahagn Chakhalyan from prison
and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's harsh criticism of the
decision have sparked a debate between the ruling and opposition MPs
and officials.
Georgian Prisons Minister Sozar Subari has accused Saakashvili of
lying and said that the allegations by the National Movement members
do not correspond to the charges against Chakhalyan.
"He was charged with three articles and all of them were less serious
crimes. These were: violation of public order, hooliganism and
[possession of] weapons. He was not facing any of the charges, which
Saakashvili, [minority MP Goga] Khachidze, [former Prime Minister
Vano] Merabishvili and members of the National Movement mentioned,"
Netgazeti website quoted Prisons Minister Sozar Subari as saying on 25
January.
Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said that Saakashvili's
statement that Chakhalyan's release was decided personally by
Ivanishvili was not true and it was not within the limits of his
competence to make such decisions.
"I remember that this question [on Chakhalyan's amnesty] was raised by
the patriarch, the catholicos-patriarch of Armenia and you should have
seen my position there. Probably there is some recording. I do not
touch anything that does not concern me. I make decisions neither on
the release of prisoners nor their arrests. Neither do I point to the
Prosecutor's Office what to do and it was a good example of this. As
soon as I was asked the question, I redirected it and said that I am
not competent. I do not decide these things, trust me. Trust me that
the vertical, which existed in the country, when one person was
deciding everything, will not exist any more and this precedent should
start from me," Netgazeti quoted Ivanishvil as saying.
Minority and the ruling party MPs involved in a debate over the topic
in Rustavi-2 TV channel's talk show "Pozitsia" ("Position") on 25
January.
Opposition MPs slammed the ruling Georgian Dream for Chakhalyan's release.
"This is a person, who will definitely threaten our state in the
future. This is a person who I am sure will restart previous
activities immediately after the release and these activities are
aimed at separating a historical part from Georgia. He has never
concealed these intentions," the United National Movement MP Goka
Gabashvili said.
"We are talking about the things that were happening in this country,
by the way. They were happening in the 21st century. There were
regions, which did not obey the central government. There were
regions, which the law enforcers could not enter. There were
districts, which police could not enter. Vahagn Chakhalyan and his
gang were doing all of these," minority MP Pavle Kublashvili said.
Georgian Dream coalition MP Zakaria Kutsnashvili said it was amnesty
law that obliged the court to release Chakhalyan.
"Georgian Dream is not afraid of people and Georgian Dream does not
regard people as a threat to our country. We think that it would be a
bigger wrongdoing, if the amnesty law, articles of which concern
people, would have been violated and, for instance, a person, who
deserved release, would not be released. Formally, it was the court
that released him according to the law and if the judge saw that the
amnesty was not concerning him, he could have kept him in custody. But
the judge checked the law, compared the articles on the basis of which
the prisoner was charged and released him," Kutsnashvili said.
[Translated from Georgian]
From: A. Papazian
Jan 25 2013
Release of ethnic Armenian activist sparks debate among Georgian politicians
The release of ethnic Armenian activist Vahagn Chakhalyan from prison
and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's harsh criticism of the
decision have sparked a debate between the ruling and opposition MPs
and officials.
Georgian Prisons Minister Sozar Subari has accused Saakashvili of
lying and said that the allegations by the National Movement members
do not correspond to the charges against Chakhalyan.
"He was charged with three articles and all of them were less serious
crimes. These were: violation of public order, hooliganism and
[possession of] weapons. He was not facing any of the charges, which
Saakashvili, [minority MP Goga] Khachidze, [former Prime Minister
Vano] Merabishvili and members of the National Movement mentioned,"
Netgazeti website quoted Prisons Minister Sozar Subari as saying on 25
January.
Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said that Saakashvili's
statement that Chakhalyan's release was decided personally by
Ivanishvili was not true and it was not within the limits of his
competence to make such decisions.
"I remember that this question [on Chakhalyan's amnesty] was raised by
the patriarch, the catholicos-patriarch of Armenia and you should have
seen my position there. Probably there is some recording. I do not
touch anything that does not concern me. I make decisions neither on
the release of prisoners nor their arrests. Neither do I point to the
Prosecutor's Office what to do and it was a good example of this. As
soon as I was asked the question, I redirected it and said that I am
not competent. I do not decide these things, trust me. Trust me that
the vertical, which existed in the country, when one person was
deciding everything, will not exist any more and this precedent should
start from me," Netgazeti quoted Ivanishvil as saying.
Minority and the ruling party MPs involved in a debate over the topic
in Rustavi-2 TV channel's talk show "Pozitsia" ("Position") on 25
January.
Opposition MPs slammed the ruling Georgian Dream for Chakhalyan's release.
"This is a person, who will definitely threaten our state in the
future. This is a person who I am sure will restart previous
activities immediately after the release and these activities are
aimed at separating a historical part from Georgia. He has never
concealed these intentions," the United National Movement MP Goka
Gabashvili said.
"We are talking about the things that were happening in this country,
by the way. They were happening in the 21st century. There were
regions, which did not obey the central government. There were
regions, which the law enforcers could not enter. There were
districts, which police could not enter. Vahagn Chakhalyan and his
gang were doing all of these," minority MP Pavle Kublashvili said.
Georgian Dream coalition MP Zakaria Kutsnashvili said it was amnesty
law that obliged the court to release Chakhalyan.
"Georgian Dream is not afraid of people and Georgian Dream does not
regard people as a threat to our country. We think that it would be a
bigger wrongdoing, if the amnesty law, articles of which concern
people, would have been violated and, for instance, a person, who
deserved release, would not be released. Formally, it was the court
that released him according to the law and if the judge saw that the
amnesty was not concerning him, he could have kept him in custody. But
the judge checked the law, compared the articles on the basis of which
the prisoner was charged and released him," Kutsnashvili said.
[Translated from Georgian]
From: A. Papazian