The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili visited police officers, who were wounded in the incident on Uznadze street at St. Michael's hospital. The President expressed his sorrow on the death of a Police Officer and noted that the policy of pardoning must be reviewed in Georgia.

"I am very sorry that a young 29-year-old policeman was killed and two were wounded.

This bandit, criminal was released from prison last year. It makes me sure that we should review the policy of pardoning because it is the fact that statistic is not consoling. Many of those, who have been pardoned, took the right path and it means that pardoning should continue, but there is a great, serious part, who return to the criminal life and pose a threat to the society. The fact that we let our children play in the yard, the fact that we aren't frightened whether our family members return home healthy and safe, one more fact that people do not lock their cars in Georgia is conditioned by the heroism of these young man and special brevity.

Some people shouted through media outlets so many times that police should not use arms and anytime, when police used firearm, the policemen themselves were blamed.

They hold rallies under the banner of ‘our innocently killed guys' - if this bandit was killed today, they would have posted the banner of this ‘innocent victim of the state terror' on one of their protest rallies.

If the policemen would have used firearm and killed the criminal suspect, he was sure some would have portrayed the suspect as "an innocent victim of the state terror. Let the life of this policeman be on the conscience of those, who post such banners. If the police had used firearms nothing would happen with them. They had to use firearms because they were dealing with a bandit, but police is seems wimp because of this serious political campaign. Of course we have to act in the frames of law. We cannot use excessive force, but where firearms should be used to protect the society it must be done. Every time when they show the photo of a killed criminal, they must show photos of tens of policemen, who sacrifice their lives for the safety and peaceful life of the society. The society must appreciate those, who stand beside them.

As for the policy of pardoning, serious corrections must be made. There should be no movements of such bewildered bandits exist anymore. I feel my share of responsibility. Georgia is the safest country among post-soviet republics and I will do everything in order to maintain this situation and because of some false political considerations there should be no chance to return all these. The Rule of Law is most important, this is what the safety and peacefulness of our society stand on", Mikheil Saakashvili stated.

Press Office
of the President of Georgia