“This is a matter of dignity! I’m not going to write to someone I would have been a better president than when I was in third grade, and I don’t even know if they would read it,” said humorist Onise Tskhadadze, detained during protest rallies, at a court hearing.

According to him, he joins actor Andro Chichinadze in refusing to apologize or request a pardon from Mikheil Kavelashvili.

“I’m not going to ask for a pardon; this is a matter of dignity. I’m not going to write to someone I would have been a better president than when I was in third grade, and I don’t even know if they would read it. I’m not going to write to someone who yesterday awarded the Order of Honor to people who beat citizens in the streets and today is awarding athletes. That’s what I wanted to say,” Onise Tskhadadze stated.

For reference, during the protest rallies near the Parliament, 11 individuals were detained on charges of participating in group violence.

The detainees—Andro Chichinadze, Onise Tskhadadze, Jano Archaia, Ruslan Sivakov, Luka Jabua, Guram Mirtskhalava, Valeri Tetrashvili, Giorgi Terishvili, Irakli Kerashvili, Revaz Kinadze, and Sergei Kukharchuk—were charged under Article 225, Part 2 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which pertains to participation in group violence.

This offense carries a penalty of 4 to 6 years of imprisonment.