The News in Brief
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Prepared by Messenger Staff
MEP Petras Austrevicius Calls for Sanctions Against Georgian Officials for Detaining Protesters
MEP Petras Austrevicius has called for targeted sanctions against individuals undermining democratic processes by detaining peaceful demonstrators. Specifically, he proposed sanctions against Vazha Siradze, Director of the Patrol Police Department, and Zviad Kharazishvili, Director of the Special Tasks Department, for acting against the will of the Georgian people.
"Georgia's status as a candidate for EU membership obliges it to carry out political reforms. Trying to justify a repressive law with Western practices is just pathetic. This law is close to Russian authoritarianism. At the same time, I applaud the people of Georgia for their oppositional sentiments, actions, and civil activism to protect a Western future.
Colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to urge the EU institutions to impose targeted sanctions against those who undermine democratic processes and orchestrate the arrest of peaceful demonstrators, specifically Zviad Kharazishvili and Vazha Siradze. These individuals act against the will of the Georgian people," Austrevicius said.
Chairman Papuashvili Accuses European Democracy Fund of Concealing Funds in Georgia
The Chairman of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili reiterated his concerns about the lack of transparency in Western financing. He specifically accused the European Democracy Fund of "hiding" their money in Georgia.
"This may not be in the interests of others, especially those whose finances enter Georgia non-transparently. Unfortunately, EU funding is also non-transparent in Georgia. We also know of examples, such as the European Democracy Fund, which hides its funding in Georgia, contradicting European values.
Unfortunately, for a year, I personally tried to communicate with various structures of the European Union to convince the representatives of the European Union themselves that secretly funding radical groups and political parties, deviating from European values, is wrong behavior," said Papuashvili.
MEP Petras Austrevicius Calls for Sanctions Against Georgian Officials for Detaining Protesters
"Georgia's status as a candidate for EU membership obliges it to carry out political reforms. Trying to justify a repressive law with Western practices is just pathetic. This law is close to Russian authoritarianism. At the same time, I applaud the people of Georgia for their oppositional sentiments, actions, and civil activism to protect a Western future.
Colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to urge the EU institutions to impose targeted sanctions against those who undermine democratic processes and orchestrate the arrest of peaceful demonstrators, specifically Zviad Kharazishvili and Vazha Siradze. These individuals act against the will of the Georgian people," Austrevicius said.
Chairman Papuashvili Accuses European Democracy Fund of Concealing Funds in Georgia
"This may not be in the interests of others, especially those whose finances enter Georgia non-transparently. Unfortunately, EU funding is also non-transparent in Georgia. We also know of examples, such as the European Democracy Fund, which hides its funding in Georgia, contradicting European values.
Unfortunately, for a year, I personally tried to communicate with various structures of the European Union to convince the representatives of the European Union themselves that secretly funding radical groups and political parties, deviating from European values, is wrong behavior," said Papuashvili.