Georgian Parliament Speaker slams foreign ambassadors’ presence at court hearings as pressure on domestic judiciary

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday criticised foreign interference in Georgia's internal affairs.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the rule of law was a fundamental pillar of democracy, yet it appeared that for some, its significance varied depending on the country in question.

“Without the rule of law, democracy does not exist. It seems that for them, the rule of law is not as important in other countries as it is in their own, and this was demonstrated when representatives of the Belgian Government supported a resolution in the European Parliament, calling for the release of the criminal [Mikheil] Saakashvili [imprisoned former President] and the portrayal of the criminal [David] Kezerashvili [wanted former Minister of Defence of Georgia] as a media guru”, the Speaker said.

“This demonstrates their attitude towards the rule of law in other countries, because it seems that some governments are reluctant to allow the Georgian people to have the rule of law, democracy, and elections”, Papuashvili continued.

He further added that in recent days, there had been increasing attention on the presence of foreign ambassadors at court hearings in the country.

“The presence of ambassadors at court hearings has only one purpose: it is pressure on the Georgian judiciary and intimidation of judges. This is a demonstration that there are auditors sitting there, watching, and if they don't do as they want, punishment will follow. This is a gross violation of the rules-based international order. This is precisely the disrespect for Georgia's sovereignty when an embassy representative goes to the trial in order to put pressure on the Georgian judiciary”, he concluded.