On December 5, 2002, prisoners in Georgia’s penitentiary system began a mass hunger strike. The protest was triggered by the decision of the Presidential Pardon Commission on December 3.

The initiative came from former Defense Minister Gia Qarqarashvili, supported by the majority of Georgian MPs, who requested a pardon for fighters imprisoned across the country. President Eduard Shevardnadze initially reacted positively, and authorities began verifying which inmates were genuine veterans. Over 800 prisoners presented documents claiming veteran status, but after review, only about 250 were confirmed as legitimate fighters. Despite this, the Pardon Commission approved clemency for just 59 individuals.

This decision caused disappointment and outrage. Out of the 59, nineteen were released on probation, twenty-five had their sentences cut in half, and fifteen received a one-year reduction. Parliamentarian and former chair of the Human Rights Committee, Elene Tevdoradze, admitted that although she expected a restrictive outcome, the final decision was still very harsh.

In total, 103 inmates across various prisons went on hunger strike, demanding amnesty. Lawmakers and NGOs also expressed distrust toward the commission, accusing its members of corruption and bribery. Qarqarashvili himself claimed that forged documents bore his signature as proof of participation in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia wars, despite him rejecting some prisoners’ claims of veteran status.

By December 11, it was announced that the Pardon Commission would review a new list of more than 300 candidates for clemency. On December 14, 62 inmates in Khoni, Geguti, Rustavi, and Ksani prisons agreed to suspend their hunger strike temporarily, after being promised their cases would be reconsidered. However, about 40 female prisoners in the Avchala women’s colony continued their strike, including one identified veteran.

On December 16, representatives including Ombudsman Nana Devdariani, National Security Council member Rusudan Beridze, and penitentiary officials visited the women’s colony. They promised case reviews and potential sentence reductions, after which the female prisoners ended their hunger strike.

This wave of protests reflected widespread dissatisfaction with selective justice, lack of transparency in the pardon process, and the government’s handling of former combatants imprisoned after the conflicts of the 1990s.