“Any court of a democratic state would have ruled this way if a violent attack on its institutions had taken place,” Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, Archil Talakvadze, echoed the court ruling in the UNM Nika Melia’s case on Thursday.

“The case refers to the attack on the state and constitutional institutions. We decided to lift the parliamentary immunity to Nika Melia to grant the prosecution the right to appeal to the court. I think the court made a decision that any democratic state would have made if a violent attack on its constitutional institutions had taken place,” Parliament Speaker said.

Talakvadze stated that the rule of law is the only basis for fair cooperation between the political parties. “Parliament guided this principle when making the decision,” he added.

Tbilisi City Court ruled imprisonment for Nika Melia, Chairman of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, on February 17. The Georgian parliament voted for lifting the parliamentary immunity to Nika Melia, Chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) party, with 88 votes pro and two con on February 16. The decision granted the Prosecutor’s Office the right to apply to the court to request substitution of the existing restraint against Melia with imprisonment.