Shalva Papuashvili: Today’s prison population is 8,700, compared to 21,000 during UNM, which had 10% of population declared criminals

“The total number of convicts includes not only prisoners but also individuals with suspended sentences, everyone subject to a court decision. Their total stands at 22,000, whereas the number of actual prisoners is 8,700,” stated the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili.

Papuashvili was asked to comment on statements made by the United National Movement and Alt-Info, claiming that the current prison population has exceeded the figures from the United National Movement era.

In response, the Speaker described these claims as false and manipulative.

“We have observed a campaign by Brussels propagandists, which they launched regarding the convicted. This is a blatant lie and misrepresentation. The figure of 22,000 includes not only prisoners but also individuals with suspended sentences, those on probation, and everyone for whom there is a court decision. The actual number of prisoners is 8,700. There is no comparison to the brutal system under the United National Movement, which had only 21,000 prisoners. They also placed 310,000 Georgian citizens on probation. The United National Movement declared that 10% of the population were criminals.

Representatives and supporters of that criminal regime are attempting to legitimise themselves by spreading such misinformation. Once again, I emphasise that all propaganda outlets and activist propagandists in Brussels have been involved in a coordinated effort to disseminate this disinformation,” Papuashvili concluded.