Administrative detention term reduced
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, July 17
The maximum term for administrative imprisonment will be reduced from 90 days to 15 days.
The Human Rights Committee of Parliament has already discussed the amendment in Georgia’s Code of Administrative Violations.
Head of the Human Rights Committee, Eka Beselia, stressed that the reduced sentence would cover all aspects of administrative violations, including drug offences.
"According to the changes in the Administrative Code, we want to reduce the administrative detainment period to 15 days. The 90-day limit was adopted by the previous government for to carry out pressure on its political opponents,” Beselia said.
One of the authors of the changes, majority MP Vakhtang Khmaladze stated that the 15-day administrative punishment matches European standards and increases the rights of a detained individual.
Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani believes that such changes are required. However, she is against the total abolishment of administrative detention.
“Administrative detention can be successfully used in terms of drug-users instead of just sending them to prison. The administrative detention period can be used for the medical treatment for such category of people,” Tsulukiani stated.
The parliamentary majority welcomes the changes, repeating that the term had a special connotation for the previous government.
However, minority MPs are skeptical over the issue, stating that the change will not provide positives, as there are selective justice and politically motivated arrests in Georgia.
Analyst Soso Tsiskarishvili shares the vision that 15-day administrative detention means the introduction of European standards.
“Even Stalin and Putin had 15-days detention terms, then Saakashvili introduced 90-days,” Tsiskarishvili says.
