Papuashvili: International partners no longer defend detainee claims of non-violent protest

Out of 120 individuals prosecuted in connection with anti-government demonstrations, 45 have admitted guilt and entered plea bargains or received presidential pardons, proving that the revolutionary propaganda surrounding allegedly “peaceful protests” has crumbled,” stated Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili.

The Speaker highlighted that international figures no longer claim the demonstrations were non-violent.

“Within roughly a single year, between 2024 and 2025, there were two distinct attempts to violently overthrow the government: the storming of Parliament in November–December 2024, and the attempt to storm the Presidential Palace in October 2025.

Everyone recalls those images: pyrotechnic attacks on police officers, resulting in 150 officers injured, several severely, with one officer permanently losing sight in one eye. In total, 120 individuals were prosecuted for these two attempts at violent overthrow, revealing the true scale of violence perpetrated by rioters waving European flags.

Out of these 120 individuals, 45 have confessed to their crimes, securing either plea bargains or presidential pardons. This alone confirms that the revolutionary narrative of peaceful protest is over. I do not know if anyone is still misleading the activists remaining in custody, but I urge them to understand: no one abroad describes their actions as non-violent anymore.

Everyone now acknowledges that these were violent riots. No one claims that innocent people were arrested or prosecuted. Those who reflected on the situation and acknowledged their personal responsibility, 45 individuals so far, have applied for legal resolution, and I understand further applications are pending. I once again urge everyone not to fall prey to false hopes placed in Brussels and its puppet political parties,” Papuashvili noted.

Papuashvili reiterated that by securing plea bargains or petitioning the President for clemency, those detained have formally acknowledged their criminal conduct.

“You will remember how for two or three years, ambassadors and EU officials raised an uproar over Mikheil Saakashvili’s condition. Throughout, the state stood firm, refusing to allow a former dictator who built a bloody regime to simply depart for Europe and live in freedom. Once they realised they could not break the will of the Georgian people, they abandoned Saakashvili. You can see the state he is in today.
All offences have now been acknowledged. By seeking pardons or plea bargains, these 45 individuals have formally admitted the criminal nature of the attempt to storm Parliament in November–December 2024 and the attempt to storm the Presidential Palace in October 2025.

Therefore, I call upon everyone to place their trust in the Georgian state. Their sole true protector is the Georgian state—not Brussels, and not foreign ambassadors who ruined people’s lives through their behaviour and court demonstrations. They sent signals during trial proceedings, such as urging Mzia Amaglobeli not to confess to assaulting a police officer, a scene broadcast live on television. They sacrificed an individual to prison, telling her not to cooperate: ‘No matter that the whole world saw you commit violence against a police officer, deny it anyway, and we will pretend none of it happened.’ This is the ultimate outcome for those who trust foreign patrons rather than their own homeland,” Papuashvili declared.