Lelo’s Giorgi Sioridze: If we leave GD guarding our sovereignty and human rights, who will watch the watchmen?

“Georgian Dream is a political force seeking the effective end of democracy, having consistently disregarded the principles of the rule of law and democratic statehood while violating human rights,” declared Giorgi Sioridze, a member of the Lelo – Strong Georgia coalition.

Sioridze directly petitioned the Constitutional Court to dismiss the government’s lawsuit in its entirety.

“The lawsuit is entirely unsubstantiated, failing to present sufficient evidence or meet the requisite legal standards and grounds to declare any political party unconstitutional. I urge the Constitutional Court to reject this lawsuit completely. Time will pass, and when courts in other nations weigh the prohibition of political parties, they will look back on these proceedings, quote this case, and cite it in footnotes. They will speak of this as an unprecedented instance where a ruling power attempted to erase the entire opposition spectrum at a single stroke.

My sincere hope is that in all such future cases, this trial will serve as a stark warning of how the mechanism for banning parties must never be abused. Georgian Dream is a force that desires the practical end of democracy; it has personally disregarded the rule of law and democratic principles, systematically violating human rights. I leave the court with a famous question: if we leave this force guarding Georgian statehood, our sovereignty, human rights, and the very future of this country, who will watch the watchmen?” Sioridze stated.