“Khoshtaria and similar individuals are personal prisoners of the Helsinki Commission,” Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Parliament, stated.

When asked about the U.S. Helsinki Commission’s claim that the Georgian Dream government is weaponising the courts to silence anyone questioning their violence, Papuashvili responded that the Helsinki Commission and organisations like it are deliberately exploiting Georgian citizens, pushing them to commit crimes to make statements against the Georgian government afterwards.

“The Helsinki Commission seeks to capitalise on the outcomes it has sought by bringing Elene Khoshtaria to justice, keeping her in prison without bail, and imprisoning others as well. They aim to use these cases to attack the Georgian government later. Khoshtaria and others like her are essentially personal prisoners of the Helsinki Commission and similar organisations. They have been incited to organise discussions, draft resolutions, and make statements that serve external interests. These individuals do not suffer any personal loss or harm from doing this; instead, they are being manipulated to push Georgians towards criminal acts, so that the Helsinki Commission can subsequently make various political statements,” Papuashvili explained.