Georgia’s Special Penitentiary Service has released an official statement addressing the release of Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, rejecting claims that he had been informed in advance of the exact time of his release.
The Service claimed that under Georgian legislation a convicted person is released from a penitentiary facility on the day preceding the formal completion of their sentence. The law does not предусматривает prior notification of the inmate or any agreement with them regarding the specific time of release. Therefore, claims that Japaridze had been informed several days earlier about the exact timing of his release are “untrue,” the statement said.
The Penitentiary Service confirmed that Japaridze was released in full compliance with the Penitentiary Code and internal regulations at approximately 08:30 a.m., following the completion of the necessary formal procedures. As stipulated by law, his personal belongings, clothing, and footwear stored at the facility were returned to him upon release.
“The Special Penitentiary Service responds to speculative information circulating in connection with the release of convicted person Zurab ‘Girchi’ Japaridze,” the statement reads. “Legislation does not provide for advance notification of the convicted person or coordination of a specific release time. Accordingly, it is unclear what Japaridze’s expectation of a 10:30 a.m. release was based on. The claim that he was informed of a specific release time several days in advance is false.”
The Service added that the penitentiary facility begins operations at 08:00 a.m. in line with its daily schedule, and that a short amount of time was required to complete the formalities related to Japaridze’s release. It also called on the public and political actors to refrain from spreading information that does not correspond to reality and that aims to discredit the institution’s work.
Zurab Japaridze left the penitentiary facility earlier today after serving a seven-month sentence. Speaking to the media, he said he had been told days earlier that he would be released around 10:30 a.m., which is why family members and friends had planned to arrive at the prison at that time. Instead, he said he was released around 08:00 a.m. without explanation.
“They just told me to pack my things and leave. I didn’t have anything to pack and was wearing only a T-shirt,” Japaridze said, adding that a jacket sent to him the previous day had not been allowed inside the facility due to not meeting standards. He also stated that there was no one waiting outside and that he was unable to contact his family for about 40 minutes, eventually using a phone belonging to a taxi driver parked nearby to inform them of his release.
Related story: Zurab Japaridze released from Rustavi prison
