Parliament Speaker criticises German Ambassador’s visit to Elene Khoshtaria during hunger strike

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday criticised Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to the country, for his visit to the opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria, who was engaged in a hunger strike.

In a social media post, Papuashvili questioned the motives behind the Ambassador’s show of empathy, calling it either a moral or diplomatic catastrophe.

“In attempting to justify his act of solidarity yesterday, the German Ambassador confirmed that he did not advise Elene Khoshtaria to end her hunger strike and visited her solely to express empathy. What could the Ambassador’s empathy, or sympathy, relate to? The hunger strike as a form of protest or the demands raised through this form? If he sympathises with the form, i.e., when a person tries to coerce others by threatening self-harm, that is a moral catastrophe. Is it moral to approach someone with a gun to their head and limit yourself to expressing sympathy? This is precisely the instrumentalisation of a person’s life, presenting their life as a means to achieve a goal rather than an end in itself, which violates the human dignity protected by the very first article of the German Constitution”, Papuashvili said.

“However, if the ambassador sympathises with the substance, i.e., Khoshtaria’s goal to force the opposition to boycott local elections through this act, that is a diplomatic disaster. Yet, considering his recent political activities, this is hardly surprising”, he continued.

The Speaker concluded by emphasising that the Vienna Convention’s non-interference clause exists to shield diplomats from actions that may lead to “self-damaging behaviour”.

“The prohibition under the Vienna Convention against diplomats interfering in domestic affairs primarily serves to protect them from reckless and self-damaging behaviour”, the Speaker concluded.