Opposition parties allying with UNM share guilt for past rights abuses, MP Gorduladze tells Constitutional Court

“Opposition parties that form coalitions with the United National Movement (UNM) without explicitly condemning its past track record accept full responsibility for the party’s actions,” MP Archil Gorduladze, Chairman of the Legal Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, told the Constitutional Court today.

Speaking at ongoing Constitutional Court hearings on banning opposition parties, Gorduladze argued that allying with the UNM without condemning its 2004–2012 rights record undermines defensive democracy and the rule of law.

“Unless a party explicitly distances itself from these abuses, acknowledges that such violations should never have occurred, and clearly states that human rights were systematically infringed upon between 2004 and 2012, entering into a coalition with the UNM means assuming responsibility for its past deeds. Any other interpretation renders the concept of defensive democracy, democratic principles, and the rule of law meaningless. Otherwise, a single party could commit transgressions, only for newly formed groups to join forces with it, trample democracy underfoot once more, and strip defensive democracy of its very purpose,” Gorduladze asserted.

The Constitutional Court of Georgia is currently considering a lawsuit seeking to declare five opposition political parties unconstitutional and ban their activities.

The ruling Georgian Dream party’s constitutional lawsuit demands banning the United National Movement, Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia – Lelo, the Federalists, and Gakharia For Georgia.