Georgia: The point below of the April 19 agreement, created by the EU and the United States, helped release two criminals and grant amnesty to “offenders and punish them from the protests of June 19-21, 2019”. This article, “Georgian Dream,” was turned to by our foreign partners “in the interest of political stability of Georgia.”
However, lately, the amnestied criminals did everything they could to radicalize the Georgian opposition and aggravate the political polarization.
One of those freed was Nika Melia, then chairman of the National Movement, whose commitment was paid by the European Democracy Fund (EED). This foundation refuses to disclose its finances fully and is funded by engines and parties known for their radical behavior.
This amnesty has stunted political violence even further as it gave criminals hope they could avoid punishment for their crimes if foreigners intervened.
Yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, in the case “Tsaava and others against Georgia,” confirmed unambiguously that on June 20, 2019, there was a violent assault and an attempt to invade the Georgian Parliament. The European Court of Justice also ruled that it was lawful to use police force, including unique means to counter violent demonstrations.
However, in contrast to the European Court of Justice, the foreign political mediators of the April 19 agreement spoke not about criminal violence but “conspiracies of politicized justice,” making “conspirations” the basis of political discussion.
Last week, the Georgian Parliament was attacked again. Sadly, the mistake of 2019 has been repeated, with some foreign actors calling violent actions “peaceful,” condemning legitimate police action, and the minimal use of force.
Such a superficial and biased attitude toward political events only promotes political violence. It damages the democratic process in Georgia, as these actors make the wrong conclusion each time and do not even think about taking responsibility.
Below are quotes from the Strasbourg court ruling:
- At 11 pm and 22 minutes, many people from the demonstration’s front lines resumed a joint attempt, violating the police cordon.
- According to varying estimates, 300 to 1,000 individuals tried to break the police cordon violently and acted aggressively.
- The clash between frontline demonstrators and police officers who set up a cordon on the stairs of the Parliament building lasted until 11.55 pm. It included incidents such as the seizure of police equipment and various items (water bottles but also stones) being thrown at police, with individual officers being separated and taken away from the cordon. Some of the officers appear to have been physically assaulted.”
