PM: No such thing as peaceful overthrow; public’s language radicalised too much; law must be strict
“There is no such thing as a peaceful or non-peaceful overthrow. Cases have been initiated in two directions, both regarding the overthrow and regarding bribery promises. The rest, naturally, is a matter for the courts,” declared Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in response to a question concerning the charges brought against United National Movement’s Levan Khabeishvili.
According to the head of government, he knows who called Khabeishvili “Anita” and who was paying him first GEL 3,000 and then 5,000.
“The public has become so accustomed to this language that all they talk about is radicalism, overthrowing the government, arson, and so on. Thousands of statements have been made over the past days. Here, too, practice must be different from what it was three or four years ago. The law must be enforced in Georgia with full severity; only then can our national interests be fully protected.
I assure everyone that, just as we have strengthened law enforcement in other areas, such as corruption, organised crime, and drug offences, we will also adopt a very firm approach towards politically motivated crimes. We will have stricter approaches in all directions regarding law enforcement than existed in the past. Naturally, this will not suit drug addicts, ‘Natsis’ [United National Movement members], organised criminals, but it will suit society,” declared Irakli Kobakhidze.