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Compiled by Keti Baramidze
Thursday, April 1
IV-V Century sepulchres found in Urbnisi

Sakartvelos Respublika reports that while repairing the central road in the village of Urbnisi in Kareli district sepulchers dating from the IV-V centuries were discovered. The manner of their burial makes archaeologists think that these sarcophagi are Christian. Everyday items from the period have also been found.

These artefacts have been sent to Tbilisi and are being examined now. The unique everyday items will be exhibited in a museum.



Which party will Nino Burjanadze support on May 30?

The Prime Time press club has held a meeting with the Democratic Movement-United Georgia and its leader Nino Burjanadze, who made comments concerning the country’s most acute problems.

As is known the Democratic Movement-United Georgia will not be taking part in the local government elections. It has been reported that Burjanadze wants everyone else to boycott them too, but she declared this was misinformation.

"I don’t care about my own popularity or rating, and why the Government worries about it is beyond my understanding. I am not really going to encourage people not to vote in the elections. We won’t be participating in the elections but it doesn’t mean that we will demand a general boycott of them.

"It’s deplorable that the opposition have been unable to name a common candidate. As for me, because of this I have not yet decided which party to support," says the opposition leader.



70 prisoners should be released for Easter

Rezonansi says that Member of Parliament Lasha Tordia has announced that the Pardon Commission will recommend releasing about seventy prisoners for Easter. He added that the Commission discussed 238 prisoners' cases, decided to release a quarter and halve the sentences of another quarter. The Commission took into consideration the nature of the offences the prisoners had committed, their social circumstances and the periods of time they have spent in prison.

Tordia added that some women and teenagers also applied for release but the teenagers had been convicted of criminal offences and therefore will not be freed. Tordia emphasised that the Commission only discussed the cases of those people who haven’t committed serious crimes.



Three American prisoners can’t cause them any problems

Akhali Taoba writes that the public have protested against former Guantanamo Bay prisoners being brought to Georgia but military analyst Giorgi Tavdgiridze considers that the Government’s acceptance of them isn’t astonishing at all, as Georgia is a member of the Anti-Terrorist coalition.

Tavdgiridze states that even though the Government has committed lots of sins and can’t run the state as well as we would want it to it still has certain responsibilities. It would however be reasonable if Parliament discussed all the decisions made by the Government and then explained to the people to what extent this or that step is necessary and profitable for the country.