“It seems I failed to clearly convey my message a few months ago. Therefore, I will repeat it once again and will not return to this issue anymore. Any talk of a pardon is unnecessary. I will not sign any document related to this matter,” actor and prisoner of conscience Andro Chichinadze said in a statement released from prison.
“I did not want to emphasize this, but it seems necessary. A few days ago, I also refused to sign an offer related to parole and said no.
The only acceptable solution for me is for the Tbilisi Court of Appeals to issue an objective and impartial decision, the kind that an independent court would make.
As for those who justified persecution against a woman and openly demanded that innocent people be sent to prison, do not trouble yourselves with posting bail,” Chichinadze wrote.
In Georgia, the parole commission, formally the local council for conditional early release, is the body that reviews the possibility of releasing a convicted person from prison before the end of their sentence. The term UDO comes from a Russian abbreviation, but in Georgian legal practice it refers to conditional early release. Special local councils operate for this purpose and are composed of representatives from various fields.
The council assesses several factors, including the portion of the sentence already served, which must meet a legally defined threshold, for example half of the sentence for less serious crimes and two thirds for serious crimes. It also considers whether the convicted person has disciplinary violations or, conversely, incentives. The process begins automatically once the legally required portion of the sentence has been served, although the convicted person may also submit an application. The council holds a hearing, and the convicted person has the right to appear before it, often remotely via video link, to explain why they deserve release. The council then issues a decision either granting release or refusing it.