The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevicius has responded to the court’s ruling on the case of Gigi Ugulava, one of the leaders of the oppositional European Georgia Party, in his statement on Twitter.

As the Lithuanian diplomat writes, the judiciary shouldn’t be used to persecute the opposition. He called the 2020 parliamentary elections a ” litmus test ” for Georgia’s democracy.

“Concerned by the court decision to sentence Gigi Ugulava, one of the leaders of European Georgia. The judiciary shouldn’t be used to persecute the opposition, which is a must for democratic societies. Upcoming parliamentary elections will be a litmus test for democracy in Georgia”, – Linas Linkevicus has tweeted.

On February 10, the Supreme Court of Georgia found Gigi Ugulava, guilty of misspending GEL 48 million of public money from Tbilisi Development Fund, while serving as the mayor of the capital city, and sentenced him to three years and two months in jail. Ugulava will serve his prison term at so-called Matrosov Prison.

Concerned by the court decision to sentence G. Ugulava, one of the leaders of European Georgia. The judiciary shouldn’t be used to persecute the opposition, which is a must for democratic societies. Upcoming parliamentary elections will be a litmus test for democracy in #Georgia.

— Linas Linkevicius (@LinkeviciusL) February 11, 2020