TBILISI. April 12 (Interfax) - Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili will pardon Lazare Grigoriadis, who was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday for harming a police officer's health and setting fire to a police car, she said on the Georgian opposition television channel Pirveli TV.
"I have made the decision to pardon Lazare Grigoriadis, without waiting for any requests or calls. I believe this young man cannot be punished with a nine-year prison term," Zourabichvili said. She said she has not signed a decree pardoning him yet, but that the decision has already been made.
Investigators established that Grigoriadis threw Molotov cocktail at police officers during the March 7-8, 2023 protests, as a result of which one police officer sustained burns. Videos provided by the investigators to court show that Grigoriadis also set fire to an overturned police car.
Grigoriadis, who was arrested a year ago, had tattoos on his eyelids and wore a large ring in his ear at the court hearing on Friday. He said he completely denied the charges.
Representatives of opposition parties believe Grigoriadis is a hero of the March 2023 protests. The Georgian authorities have said he is a criminal and the president will promote crime by pardoning him.
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