Vice PM Mdinaradze: debates over arrested anti-gov’t demonstrators block unity, reconciliation

Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister Mamuka Mdinaradze has said public consensus and national unity cannot be achieved while anti-government detainees were viewed as “prisoners of conscience” by some and as criminals by others.

Speaking at a briefing on Monday, Mdinaradze argued that the use of the term “prisoner of conscience” had become a major obstacle to reconciliation and potential pardons.

“As long as one side speaks about prisoners of conscience and the other side speaks about criminals, agreement, public consensus and unity cannot be achieved,” he said.

Referring to recent comments by members of the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Holy Synod, Mdinaradze said clerics had not explicitly called for the release of “prisoners of conscience”, but had instead supported pardons for individuals who show repentance.

“They said that pardoning those who repent and express remorse would be a positive step, and I agree with that,” he said.

Mdinaradze added the state was traditionally more lenient towards individuals who acknowledge wrongdoing, including in relation to plea agreements and pardons. He claimed that describing detainees as “prisoners of conscience” created a “deliberate barrier” against such decisions and kept political confrontation active.

The vice prime minister also argued that the phrase had lost credibility in recent years due to overuse in political discourse.

“Five or six years ago, a prisoner of conscience was someone subjected to an exceptionally unjust state decision that attracted worldwide attention,” he said. “The term has been so overused that it now appears worn out and unserious.”

Mdinaradze added that, speaking “as a citizen”, he would support humanitarian decisions, including pardons, if individuals recognised the seriousness of their actions and expressed remorse.