Georgian Parliament Speaker demands apology from MEP Juknevičienė over ‘dictatorship’ claim

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday responded strongly to a recent statement made by Member of the European Parliament Rasa Juknevičienė, in which she expressed concern about the potential rise of another dictatorship in Europe, referring to developments in Georgia.

In a social media message, Papuashvili highlighted Juknevičienė's association with the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, referring to her as a “friend of dictator Saakashvili”.

“This is coming from Rasa Juknevičienė, a friend of dictator Saakashvili, who has labeled the ruling Georgian Dream party and its 1,120,000 voters as criminals and an infection”, the Speaker said.

“It is a matter of dignity for the European Parliament that this individual apologizes to the Georgian people for her fascist remarks”, he concluded.