Georgian Parliament Speaker slams EU Embassy’s silence on “violence, hate, disinformation” from funded groups

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday denounced references to the Georgian Parliament as “illegitimate” alongside the spread of disinformation, calling it a direct attack on democratic institutions.

Papuashvili’s remarks came in response to the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association and the Centre for Social Justice mentioning the Parliament as “illegitimate”.

“Referring to a Parliament elected by the people as ‘illegitimate’, combined with disinformation, is a rejection of democratic institutions. The goal of denying democracy is to create an ideological basis and a façade of legitimacy for extremism”, the Speaker said.

Papuashvili highlighted two prominent NGOs - the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and the Social Justice Center - stating that their largest donor is the EU Delegation to Georgia. He urged the Delegation to clarify whether it intends to respond to what he described as the misuse of EU taxpayers’ money to promote extremism.

“It is alarming that the EU Delegation has not condemned - not even once - the violence, hate speech, and disinformation spread by individuals it funds”, he continued.

Papuashvili further emphasised that responsible donor behaviour was not a matter of choice but a legal obligation under international law, specifically citing the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.

“Violating this commitment undermines the rules-based international order”, he concluded.