Georgian top parliamentarian urges Brussels to uphold rule of law

Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, has called on Brussels to uphold core European values of the rule of law and respect for human rights, cautioning against taking sides in acts of political violence.

His remarks come amid rising tensions following the recent detention of opposition leader Elene Khoshtaria, Caliber.Az reports.

In a statement posted on his social media account, Papuashvili emphasized that the European Union should refrain from supporting violent protest and instead focus on legal principles.

“Today, the whole world agrees that violent protest is the enemy of democracy. Against this backdrop, chanting ‘The European Union supports Elene’ is a choice to side with violence. Brussels must return to the fundamental European values: the rule of law and respect for human rights,” he wrote.

The statement follows earlier expressions of solidarity from Anitta Hipper, Lead European Spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who on behalf of the EU called for the release of Khoshtaria and other political prisoners in Georgia.

Khoshtaria, leader of the opposition party Droa, was detained on September 15 at her residence in Tbilisi, charged with damaging a campaign banner. The incident followed her publication of a video in which she spray-painted the phrase “Russian Dream” on an election banner belonging to Kakha Kaladze, the current mayor of Tbilisi and candidate from the ruling Georgian Dream party.

By Vafa Guliyeva