Georgian Parliament Speaker says ALDE must force Lelo party to distance itself from terrorism

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday responded to the court verdict against opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili, saying that the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) must either force the opposition Lelo party to distance itself from terrorism or expel it from the alliance.

In a social media message, Papuashvili argued that failure to take such action would make ALDE itself a supporter of terrorism.

“The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) must either compel the Lelo party to distance itself from terrorism or expel Lelo from its ranks. Otherwise, ALDE itself will become a terrorism-supporting alliance”, Papuashvili said.

Aleko Elisashvili, one of the leaders of the opposition Strong Georgia - Lelo, on Friday was found guilty by the court on charges of attempting to commit a terrorist act.
Judge Giorgi Gelashvili sentenced him to 13 years in prison.

The case concerns an incident that took place in the administrative building of the Tbilisi City Court, where employees of the Court Enforcement Service stopped Elisashvili’s actions, after which he was detained by law enforcement officers at the scene.

Elisashvili pleaded guilty. In court, he stated that the reason for his actions was a protest that was “choking” him.

“The protest I felt was choking me, and I acted in the only way I knew how. I decided that this was the necessary way to act. It didn't work out”, Elisashvili noted.