Georgian Parliament Speaker: if Brussels does not support politically motivated crimes, there will be no such crimes

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said that politically motivated offences in Georgia are being encouraged and financed from abroad, and argued that if Brussels and other foreign capitals stop supporting such actions, both the offences and the resulting punishments would disappear.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the recent increase in the number of criminal detainees was primarily the result of intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking and drug-related offences.

“If I am not mistaken, more than 2,000 people have already been detained for involvement in drug trafficking”, he added.

The Speaker highlighted that the criminal prosecution also serves a preventive purpose, as people see that the state maintains a strict policy.

He noted that arrests for drug-related offences continue despite concerns within the government over the growing prison population, as public safety remains the overriding priority.

Papuashvili further commented on administrative offences.

“As for the administrative sphere, if we are talking about politically motivated offences, the problem lies in the political motivations that individuals have when committing these offences. There are reasons for this, as politically motivated offences are encouraged, financed, and supported from abroad. As long as such funding and encouragement exist, these politically motivated crimes and violations will continue”, he said.

“The main challenge is for Brussels and other capitals that encourage politically motivated violations in Georgia to stop undermining the functioning of Georgia’s legal system and the rule of law, and to cease encouraging politically motivated offences. If there is no support from Brussels for politically motivated offences, there will be no politically motivated crimes. If there are no politically motivated crimes, there will be no punishments”, Papuashvili concluded.