Press Scanner
Compiled by Londa Mindiashvili
Monday, September 21
Giorgi Tsagareishvili set to join Alasania’s party
Versia reports that independent opposition MP Gia Tsagareishvili has finished his personal boycott of Parliament and retaken his seat. He is attending Parliament sessions, taking part in committees and making stinging statements. He is however still in touch with non-Parliamentary opposition parties and is holding negotiations with Irakli Alasania’s party. It is highly possible that he will soon become a member of this party.
“Irakli was my classmate and is my friend. I was in quite a famous class; almost all the politicians from Okruashvili to Alasania were my classmates. I really have a very good and close relationship with members of Alasania’s party, among them Vika Dolidze and Zurab Abashidze who were also my classmates.
“This party is in the process of forming and frankly there are a lot of people waiting for my decision on whether to join it,” stated Tsagareishvili.
Does Saakashvili remember that he pardoned the man who killed a policeman?
Rezonansi writes that the incident which occurred in Uznadze Street on Wednesday afternoon has raised the necessity of a revision of the pardon policy. In this incident a released convict killed a police officer and wounded two more. The killer, Rati Rekhviashvili, had been released from jail on December 17 2008 after being pardoned by the President. Members of Rekhviashvili’s family have now approached the Public Defender seeking another pardon for him but the prisoner himself has rejected this.
The Chairman of the Pardon Commission, Elene Tevdoradze, has stated that she can prove that Rekhviashvili was pardoned on the President’s orders. She said that Rekhviahsvili did not apply to the Commission for a pardon so it could not have pardoned him if it had wanted to. The Pardon Commission held its meeting on December 24, seven days after Rekhviashvili’s pardon. Opposition MP Dimitri Lortkipanidze has confirmed that the prisoner was not released by the Pardon Commission. Tevdoradze agrees with the President’s new initiative to revise the pardon policy.
Sozar Subari has said that pardoning prisoners by Presidential decree is dangerous for society. He added that the Procurator’s Office and members of the National Movement had advised the President not to show the list of 800 prisoners who Saakashvili pardoned in the autumn of 2007 to the Pardon Commission.
Zurab Noghaideli demands elections
Sakartvelos Respublika reports that the leader of the Movement for Fair Georgia Zurab Nogaideli announced at a press conference three days ago that he had visited Ukraine for two days and met the Georgian community there. He introduced them to the political issues currently affecting Georgia. “These are people who will take part in elections, so I consider they have the right to know what is happening in Georgia,” explained Noghaideli.
“Snap elections will be appointed very soon. When Saakashvili understands that the day after tomorrow will always be more difficult than tomorrow, he will call elections but will lose those elections,” declared Noghaideli.
Noghaideli said he had also met representatives of the Ukraine Government. He told them that the situation in Georgia must change and that it is necessity to call elections to do this.
Versia reports that independent opposition MP Gia Tsagareishvili has finished his personal boycott of Parliament and retaken his seat. He is attending Parliament sessions, taking part in committees and making stinging statements. He is however still in touch with non-Parliamentary opposition parties and is holding negotiations with Irakli Alasania’s party. It is highly possible that he will soon become a member of this party.
“Irakli was my classmate and is my friend. I was in quite a famous class; almost all the politicians from Okruashvili to Alasania were my classmates. I really have a very good and close relationship with members of Alasania’s party, among them Vika Dolidze and Zurab Abashidze who were also my classmates.
“This party is in the process of forming and frankly there are a lot of people waiting for my decision on whether to join it,” stated Tsagareishvili.
Does Saakashvili remember that he pardoned the man who killed a policeman?
Rezonansi writes that the incident which occurred in Uznadze Street on Wednesday afternoon has raised the necessity of a revision of the pardon policy. In this incident a released convict killed a police officer and wounded two more. The killer, Rati Rekhviashvili, had been released from jail on December 17 2008 after being pardoned by the President. Members of Rekhviashvili’s family have now approached the Public Defender seeking another pardon for him but the prisoner himself has rejected this.
The Chairman of the Pardon Commission, Elene Tevdoradze, has stated that she can prove that Rekhviashvili was pardoned on the President’s orders. She said that Rekhviahsvili did not apply to the Commission for a pardon so it could not have pardoned him if it had wanted to. The Pardon Commission held its meeting on December 24, seven days after Rekhviashvili’s pardon. Opposition MP Dimitri Lortkipanidze has confirmed that the prisoner was not released by the Pardon Commission. Tevdoradze agrees with the President’s new initiative to revise the pardon policy.
Sozar Subari has said that pardoning prisoners by Presidential decree is dangerous for society. He added that the Procurator’s Office and members of the National Movement had advised the President not to show the list of 800 prisoners who Saakashvili pardoned in the autumn of 2007 to the Pardon Commission.
Zurab Noghaideli demands elections
Sakartvelos Respublika reports that the leader of the Movement for Fair Georgia Zurab Nogaideli announced at a press conference three days ago that he had visited Ukraine for two days and met the Georgian community there. He introduced them to the political issues currently affecting Georgia. “These are people who will take part in elections, so I consider they have the right to know what is happening in Georgia,” explained Noghaideli.
“Snap elections will be appointed very soon. When Saakashvili understands that the day after tomorrow will always be more difficult than tomorrow, he will call elections but will lose those elections,” declared Noghaideli.
Noghaideli said he had also met representatives of the Ukraine Government. He told them that the situation in Georgia must change and that it is necessity to call elections to do this.