The NGO TI (Transparency International Georgia) reports that there are 90 people in Georgia whom the organization Transparency International Georgia considers political prisoners.
Sandro Baramidze, head of the human rights and justice program, stated at a briefing that there had been more such people, but some of them had entered into plea agreements with the prosecutor’s office.
The NGO representative explained that when compiling the list, the organization was guided by the criteria established in the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. These consist of five criteria, and meeting at least one of them is sufficient for a person to be recognized as a political prisoner.
The criteria include violations of fundamental human rights, politically motivated deprivation of liberty, disproportionate punishment, discriminatory prosecution, and the violation of the right to a fair trial.
“The vast majority of these 90 people meet more than one criterion, and many meet all five. This is a major dark stain on Georgia’s history, to have so many political prisoners in the country,” Baramidze said.
Among those included in the list, he named Mzia Amaglobeli and Elene Khoshtaria.
Transparency International Georgia has also published a full list of individuals whom the organization considers political prisoners.
