Georgian Parliament official urges Lithuania’s MFA to “examine law” on Gvaramia case

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, on Saturday responded sharply to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry’s statement expressing support for the opposition leader Nika Gvaramia, calling on foreign partners to first review Georgian legislation and familiarise themselves with the facts of the case.

In his remarks, Machavariani criticised what he described as double standards in the behaviour of certain foreign Governments, recalling previous instances of foreign officials allegedly participating in anti-Government rallies in Georgia.

“The public sees everything - how they speak to us with double standards and how they behave in general. After all, their foreign ministers were sent to anti-government protests, thereby violating the UN Charter itself. In this case, claiming that Mr. Gvaramia was detained by the state because he is an angel who did nothing wrong - let them review the law and familiarise themselves with the progress of this case”, Machavariani said.

“Of course, we are an established state, and everything in our state operates within the framework of the law. Everyone acts within the law, and anyone who violates it must be held accountable before the law", the official noted.

Nika Gvaramia, the leader of the opposition Coalition for Change, has had his bail measure replaced with pre-trial detention.

The decision was made by Judge Jvebe Nachkebia of the Tbilisi City Court. The reason for the change was Gvaramia’s failure to pay the previously imposed bail.