Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker accuses European officials of interfering in Georgia’s judicial system

Nino Tsilosani, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday accused European officials of discrediting Georgia’s judicial system and interfering in its administration of justice, saying their statements demonstrated a lack of respect for the rule of law, state sovereignty and democratic institutions.

Tsilosani made the remarks while commenting on statements by the Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and a representative of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office concerning a lawsuit seeking to ban five opposition parties.

“As it turns out, they have no respect for the rule of law, state sovereignty or democratic institutions. For several days now, we have been witnessing attempts to discredit the judicial system, blatant interference in Georgian justice and pressure reflected in their statements - pressure that is, most importantly, entirely unfounded”, Tsilosani said.

The Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has called on the Georgian authorities to withdraw the lawsuit seeking to ban the five opposition parties. Niklas Wagner, a representative of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, has also expressed concern over the legal proceedings and their historical context.