Georgia’s ruling party official: no one in Georgia takes Helsinki Commission seriously anymore

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Saturday said the Helsinki Commission had long-lost credibility in Georgia, describing its upcoming discussion on the country as politically biased and irrelevant.

Machavariani commented on the Helsinki Commission’s announcement that it planned to hold a briefing on developments in Georgia and stated that the Georgian public has repeatedly witnessed what he described as “performances” by the Helsinki Commission in the past.

“We have already seen the performances of the Helsinki Commission. Mr. Wilson was leading them, and we remember the agents who came from there”, he said.

The official further noted that the commission's activities and rhetoric were already well known to the Georgian public and no longer inspire trust or interest.

“I don’t think there is anyone left in Georgia who takes this commission seriously. Especially since we know that one of the speakers will be Ms. Laura Thornton, whose fellow is Ms. Zourabichvili, who is known for her aggressive attitude toward Mr. Trump and her aggressive rhetoric and severe accusations”, he noted.

Machavariani also pointed out that one of the upcoming speakers, Laura Thornton, has previously expressed disappointment over the absence of casualties during the November protests in Georgia.

“Ms. Thornton is the person who expressed very serious frustration over the fact that she did not see any victims during the November protests. Accordingly, this is the kind of commission it is, this is the kind of composition it has. Let them do whatever they want and say whatever they want. It is absolutely of no interest to us”, Machavariani concluded.

Laura Thornton, who has referred to Donald Trump as a sexual abuser, will be one of the speakers at the Helsinki Commission on January 28, where a report on Georgia is scheduled under the title “The Growing Suppression of Dissent by the Georgian Dream”.

Thornton is the Director of Global Democracy Programs at the McCain Institute and previously headed the NDI office in Georgia.