Address to the President of Georgia and Pardon Commission about the Case of Convict Teimuraz Sharashenidze

Non-governmental organizations Human Rights Center and Former Prisoners for Human Rights welcome the initiative of the President of Georgia to start participatory discussion about the cases of the life-sentenced convicts. 

According to the Chairperson of the Pardon Commission Zviad Koridze , the commission got interested in the cases of life-sentenced convicts and currently they study cases of seven convicts, whose cases meet criteria of the commission. Commission chairman underlined one of the criteria set by the law, according to which the applications of life-sentenced convicts are reviewed – the applicants must have served more than 15 years of their imprisonment terms.

We believe that when studying the cases of life-imprisoned convicts, on the one hand the commission shall consider the gravity of the charge and results caused by the crime, on the other hand health conditions of the convict or other particular circumstances about the case.

President of Georgia has legal authority to pardon life-sentenced person based on extraordinary circumstances regardless the fact he/she has served the estimated minimal imprisonment term – 15 years or not.

Due to specific character of the cases processed by our organizations, we call on the President to consider the miscarriages of justice as extraordinary circumstance because it significantly influenced the court judgments for the past ten years. The miscarriages were caused by the influence of the prosecutor’s office over the judiciary authority or their direct instructions to the courts as well as by political or other subjective motives. Besides that, because of expired appeal deadlines, majority of convicts lack opportunity to continue litigation at the courts; for that reason their pardoning or reduction of the punishment is the only way to eradicate miscarriages of justice and to restore justice. 

Human Rights Center and Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights defend rights of life-sentenced Teimuraz Sharashenidze, who is professional military officer, former member of the Special Riot Unit of the Security Ministry; he participated in the Armed Conflict in Abkhazia and was awarded for military bravery. He was convicted for premeditated murder though he claims he had not killed anybody; according to his allegation his imprisonment is connected with his invention and business activities, for what he was persecuted by the senior officials of the previous government. 

The case materials reveal set of procedural violations that make charges against Teimuraz Sharashenidze and judgment suspicious; consequently, the punishment might be really connected with the subjective factors the prisoner is speaking about.

We address to the Pardon Commission to study the case of Teimuraz Sharashenidze in details and due to peculiarity of the case send urgent recommendations to the President of Georgia to issue pardon act for the eradication of miscarriages in this concrete case and for the restoration of justice.

Human Rights Center

Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights