“Brussels’ accusation regarding the erosion of democracy is, of course, false and hypocritical,” writes Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, on social media.
“It is not surprising that they demand the release of Saakashvili from prison,” Papuashvili pointed out.
“Let me remind you that the agreement facilitating visa issuance for diplomatic passport holders, specifically for officials of the Saakashvili regime, was signed in 2010. This was a time when the unresolved murders of Sandro Girgvliani, Buta Robakidze, and Zurab Vazagashvili had already taken place, and when Rustavi 2 and Imedi were wrested from their owners under the orchestration of Zurab Adeishvili. It is worth noting that this very Adeishvili, who is wanted for his actions, was hosted by Brussels officials just last year in the same rooms where they made their current decisions,” he further elaborated.
“The systematic implementation of a prisoner torture system, which Brussels chose to ignore and which the Strasbourg Court later characterized as systematic torture; the falsification of the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections; and the complete subjugation of businesses to regime racketeering are just a few examples. It was the architects of this flourishing autocracy, not ordinary citizens, who were rewarded with visa-free travel by Brussels back then. For regular citizens to gain this same privilege, it took an additional seven years and the defeat of the regime by the Georgian Dream. Therefore, I assert that Brussels’ accusation regarding the trampling of democracy is undeniably false and hypocritical. It is hardly surprising that they would demand the release of Saakashvili, the very creator of the authoritarian regime, from prison,” Shalva Papuashvili concluded.
