Press Digest 06.01.2015
What will new remission law change in inmates’ lives?
Why is Georgia heading for the Eurozone if Greece is abandoning it?
Reportedly, within the reforms by the Ministry of Corrections and Probation, regulations on remission will be reconsidered. Deputy Minister of Corrections, Kakha Kakhishvili denies widely circulating reports claiming that Remission Commission has stopped operating. The Deputy Minister has also expanded on further details regarding the issue with the Alia newspaper.
“Two local commissions, Eastern and Western, are settling this issue today. We also have a permanent commission made up of deputies from the majority as well as the minority, representatives of Supreme Council of Justice, different NGOs, etc.
False information claiming the Remission Commission stopped operating has hit the headlines recently. This issue was inserted into the project that is a part of the paramount reform having been elaborated in the Ministry of Corrections; the project has already been approved by the government,”- states Mr. Kakhishvili.
As the project says, the issues linked with remission are to be refined. Two models that are to be adjusted to this practice have already been outlined and now our Ministry is conducting a survey along with the EU to figure out which of the two suggested models is likely to be more effective.
Anyway, we unanimously admit that the existing model is to be refined. The current model provides that the council must be manned with representatives of different ministries, NGOs as well as academic circles. However, it does not give the convicts an opportunity to get involved in the amnesty discussions.
Therefore, all existing shortfalls are intended to be eliminated in the short run,”- concludes the Deputy Minister.
Why is Georgia heading for the Eurozone if Greece is abandoning it?
"German news magazine, Spiegel says Germany expects that Greece will soon abandon the Eurozone. This will be feasible if leftist radicals best their political adversaries in the forthcoming elections. If a country like Greece is cut off from the Eurozone, what kind of prospects can shine on a small and poverty-stricken country like Georgia?”- reports the Rezonansi newspaper.
“Greece made some really crude mistakes back in the past; the Greeks squandered a vast amount of financial resources; they enjoyed a high standard of living thanks to loans they took every now and then. Such behavior and lack of discretion has obviously brought them nothing good,”- announces expert Soso Tsintsadze.
“The Greek authorities were repeatedly warned against pursuing a reckless policy, but these people just failed to learn from their own mistakes.
Power repeatedly changed hands in the country, rallies were staged there every now and again, a great number of leftist parties emerged in its political scene, the country was thrown into disarray and… finally Germans had their fill of the Greek’s outrageous actions; as you know Germany provides this country with financial assistance.
Greece will maintain EU membership and its national currency, but its membership in the Eurozone will be barred,” - says the expert.
“As you know, a claim that the Association Agreement would draw positive changes in our lives has found quite a resonance in our country and many of us still think that it will resolve all our problems. However, the truth is that this deal is strongly expected to shatter our already battered economy and industry completely.
This way or that, irrefutable is the fact that EU membership is not a must for having normal values. Take South Korea, for instance. Is this country a member of the EU? No, it is not. However, democracy has flourished here and if we ever manage to achieve a similar level of development, we will then have the right to hold our heads up high,”- concludes Mr. Tsinsadze.
