Chairman of Georgian Parliament Condemns 'Clan' Terminology by Non-Governmental Organizations
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, condemned the use of the term 'clan' by non-governmental organizations when referring to individuals involved in administering justice in Georgia. Chairman described this usage as absolutely disturbing and emphasized that it constitutes an attack on the institution.
Papuashvili further underscored that the responsibility for such actions falls on the donors, including The Swedish Development Agency, Transparency International Georgia, as well as the European Democratic Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy, and USAID.
According to Papuashvili's statement, it's already evident what these organizations represent and what their political agenda is, especially since some of them have openly declared their election goals. Papuashvili stressed that attacking the justice system crosses a line and is unacceptable.
The Parliament Chairman strongly condemned the use of foreign funds to undermine Georgian democratic institutions:
"When Georgian justice is attacked by organizations that are fully financed from abroad, I believe that the responsibility of their financiers is already on the agenda. It is already clear what these organizations represent, as well as their political agenda. Several of the five organizations have already announced their election goals.
They talked about wanting to change the government. It is a separate problem that foreign-funded organizations have political agendas and goals. However, regarding the attack on justice, this is absolutely unacceptable.
The use of the term 'clan' in this manner is once again a question that donors must answer: why is their citizens' money used to undermine the justice system of another country? It goes against the spirit of partnership and aims to undermine democratic institutions," Papuashvili stated.
