BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), today released the following statement after Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili announced the pardon and release of two opposition leaders:
“We welcome today’s pardon and release from prison of Mr. Okruashvili and Mr. Ugulava. This is an important step in the implementation of the March 8 agreement that will modify Georgia’s electoral system and bring an end to political interference in the judiciary. Today’s releases send a strong signal to all those who worked to bring about and signed the agreement that progress can and will be made.
“We look forward to seeing the agreed-upon changes made to the electoral system when the Georgian parliament returns to work in the next weeks, as well as the release of Mr. Giorgi Rurua, a media owner who was detained in December on spurious charges.”
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