Lawyers Request the Court to Release Prisoner for Heart Operation

Non-governmental organization “Constitutional Article 42” of has requested the Penitentiary Department to release Shalva Dolidze, a prisoner.

Manan Kobakhidze, attorney for Shalva Dolidze and chairperson of the non-governmental organization, explained that Shalva Dolidze is in a dire state of health and needs an immediate operation on his heart, which can only be performed abroad. Ten years ago he was operated in Shuhterman Clinic in Germany and a subsequent operation must be done in the same clinic.

The operation will cost 14,000 GEL in Georgia but it is more expensive in Germany. “Shalva Dolidze is very sick person and medical experts have concurred with this conclusion. A month ago we petitioned the court to postpone his sentence under the Georgian Criminal Code Article 607 but Judge Revaz Nodia was unwilling to satisfy our motion on February 28 2008, though we provided all legal evidence. We appealed against the verdict but the appeal has not been sent to the chancellery of the Georgian Appeal Court,” said Manana Kobakhidze.

Reportedly, in 2005 the case materials on Shalva Dolidze were sent to Human Rights European Court for having breached Articles III and V of the European Convention. The prisoner was treated inhumanly and arbitrarily detained.

Shalva Dolidze was arrested together with his son, Vladimer Dolidze on August 22 2005 for having fired gun in air after horse race finished in the resort village of Bakhmaro in Guria Region. They were accused for hooliganism. Dolidze was imposed with a sentence of  5 years and half years. In 2008 Vladimer Dolidze was pardoned by the Georgian president but Shalva Dolidze’s pardon request was refused. “Unless the case is not re-discussed in the nearest hours we have now choice but to make an immediate appeal to the European Court of Justice,” said Manana Kobakhidze.

Source: Medianews