Georgian Dream to offer mass amnesty

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the ruling Georgian Dream party’s plans to adopt an amnesty bill to “seriously reduce” the number of prisoners across the country.

He said the party would initiate the legislative initiative “in the near future”, with the first reading of the bill scheduled in the lawmaking body next month and eventual adoption planned for September.

"Today's data is not optimal. We have close to 10,000 prisoners in penitentiary institutions, and it is important that the number of prisoners is seriously reduced in the near future in order to bring us closer to the optimal European rate," Kobakhidze said.

According to the PM, it would be “desirable” to reduce the number of prisoners “by at least a third”, as the Georgian Government believed the bill would “make a serious contribution” to the goal.