Vano Merabishvili denied CER

The commission has refused to apply the conditional early relief (CER) to Vano Merabishvili, the former Georgian Interior Minister, who had been convicted in the case of beating an MP. The defence has treated the denial as politically motivated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in 2016, Vano Merabishvili was sentenced to 6 years and 9 months of imprisonment under the case of the beating up the MP Valery Gelashvili.

On April 11, the commission considered the Merabishvili's request for the CER, and today informed him about a negative decision. "We have a feeling that this is a political decision. The Merabishvili's political persecution is in full swing," the advocate Giorgi Chiviashvili said on air of the "Rustavi-2" TV Company (this and further translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent).

The political background of the CER denial was indicated on the TV channel by the former president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, during whose presidency Merabishvili was the minister: "A liberation of a man from prison is for Ivanishvili (the leader of the ruling "Georgian Dream" Party, – note of the "Caucasian Knot") a loss of power," Mr Saakashvili has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 24, 2019 at 10:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.