Georgian Parliament Speaker: sanctions devolved into tools of political vendetta

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday criticised the German Government for hosting the wanted former Georgian Justice Minister Zurab Adeishvili during an official visit to Germany, despite Adeishvili’s criminal convictions for serious human rights violations.

In a social media message, Papuashvili reminded the public that just a few months ago, Adeishvili visited Germany in his capacity as a representative of the Ukrainian government. During the visit, he took part in official meetings and was even seen in the Bundestag’s guest box.

“If the German Government had genuine intolerance toward human rights abusers, it would have barred entry to one of the key architects of a confirmed system of torture and extortion”, the Speaker said.

He further listed several criminal cases for which Adeishvili had received final convictions in Georgian courts:

• The abduction and beating of opposition politician Koba Davitashvili – 6 years in prison
• The prison torture case – 4 years and 6 months
• The Akura Wine Company case – 1 year and 6 months
• The TV Iberia case – 1 year and 6 months
• The Cartu Bank bankruptcy case – 5 years and 3 months

Papuashvili argued that if the German Government genuinely opposed human rights violators, it would have either refused to host Adeishvili or, at the very least, banned his entry.

“Such examples demonstrate that sanctions and visa bans are being used selectively as tools of political vendetta, rather than being based on fair legal principles. This is far from European values”, he concluded.