Opposition parties and unions that overcame barriers in the parliamentary elections - Coalition for Change, United National Movement, Strong Georgia, and Gakharia - For Georgia - have criticized the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. As per their assessment, Alain Berset's summary statement was "essentially irresponsible," further aggravates the situation in the country, and encourages violence from the Georgian Dream.
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“Despite the clear statement by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe at the concluding press conference that his visit to Georgia was not intended to legitimize the elections, which in itself is important for exposing the Russian propaganda of the Georgian Dream, we believe that his visit at such a time and the content of the concluding statement were essentially irresponsible and do not align with the spirit of the Council of Europe, nor with the principles and values of this institution. This is completely out of touch with the extremely difficult situation in Georgia today and raises legitimate questions regarding the real motives behind this visit,” the parties’ joint statement reads.
The opposition parties focus on the political crisis in the country, which, according to them, “has been caused by the usurpation of power by the Georgian Dream through election fraud, the complete collapse of democratic institutions, and the deliberate sabotage of Georgia’s European perspective.”
The four opposition parties note that, in response to the legitimate protest of citizens, the government has violated fundamental human rights, including the absolute right to be free from torture, physically abused and illegally detained hundreds of citizens, and used criminal, informal groups to intimidate citizens and inflict physical punishment on them. Meanwhile, the illegitimate parliament hastily adopted legislative amendments that “finally establish an authoritarian dictatorship in the country and further strengthen the legal mechanisms necessary for the repressive regime.”
“Alain Berset’s final press conference contained messages that do not help defuse the crisis, but on the contrary, aggravate the situation in the country and encourage violence from the Georgian Dream.
In this extreme situation, it is completely unacceptable and inappropriate to discuss any attempt to make legislative amendments to the Russian law and ‘ennoble’ it, or to create any kind of working group for this purpose under the conditions of an illegitimate parliament and government. The aforementioned law, as well as other anti-democratic and anti-European legislative amendments adopted by the Georgian Dream, are beyond correction and should simply be repealed immediately after the change of government.
The Secretary General received detailed explanations on these issues during his meetings with political parties. Despite this, he voiced completely contextless and irresponsible messages, raising logical doubts about his integrity.
We, the political parties and coalitions of Georgia, express our deep respect for the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, fully sharing its fundamental values, including the protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. We are ready to cooperate with the institutions of the Council to protect these fundamental values, including in the process of overcoming the current crisis in the country. This should be based on the unconditional and immediate release of illegally detained persons and guarantees for holding new elections in a fair and competitive environment,” the opposition parties stated.
They call on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Committee of Ministers to raise the issue of Alain Berset’s actions during his visit and their compliance with the founding principles of the Council of Europe for consideration in the public debate to be held in January.
