Family members and lawyers have appealed to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili to pardon Lazare Grigoriadis. Their statement, issued today following the announcement of the guilty verdict, was received by Angi Khutsishvili, the President's advisor on pardon matters.
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"Lazare is innocent, and Mrs. Salome knows it. She has been given the case materials. Therefore, I think he will be pardoned," said Lazare's mother, Tamta Kalandadze.
Lawyer Lika Bitadze noted that if the president makes a negative decision, they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Today, on April 12, Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Sharadze announced the verdict in the case of Lazare Grigoriadis, a participant in the March protests against Russian law. Lazare was found guilty of injuring policemen and setting fire to a vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
The defense side believes that the verdict is unfair and illegal, while Judge Zviad Sharadze states that in the reasoned decision, he will explain the evidence he relied on.
"Police witnesses were presented, which is a traditional method of prosecution, along with so-called video evidence. Nowhere in the footage was it seen that Lazare Grigoriadis threw a Molotov cocktail at the police. The verdict is politically motivated. We anticipated such a decision, as the court lacks independence, and the interests of the executive power often influence other cases as well," said Aleko Tskitishvili, the Human Rights Center executive director.
21-year-old Lazare Grigoriadis was arrested on March 29, 2023. Zviad Sharadze, the lifelong judge of the Tbilisi City Court, deliberated on the case for over a year. Lazar does not consider himself guilty.
A year after the March actions, the ruling Georgian Dream again presented the draft law on so-called Foreign Fgents, which was rejected due to large-scale protests and international pressure. The ruling party did not fulfill its promise to recall it from the parliament "unconditionally, without any reservations." The text of the draft law remained the same - only the term "agent of foreign influence" was replaced by "organization carrying out the interests of a foreign power."
