Speaker criticises German Ambassador for disrespect for rule of law in Georgia

“When a representative of one state allows themselves to take on a judge’s role in another state, this is disrespect for the rule of law,” Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili responded on social media to German Ambassador Peter Fischer’s post.

According to him, the statement by Germany’s Ambassador Peter Fischer constitutes interference in governmental functions by an accredited diplomat in the host country and pressure on ongoing judicial proceedings.

“The rule of law means the administration of justice by the courts! When a representative of one state allows themselves to take on a judge’s role in another state and determine guilt or innocence, this is disrespect for the rule of law.

I remind everyone that Georgia, as an independent state, has a functioning judicial authority, the correctness of whose decisions has been confirmed repeatedly by the Strasbourg Court [European Court of Human Rights], including in all those cases (Rustavi 2, Gvaramia, Melia, Saakashvili, etc.) that were the object of slanderous attacks similar to this statement. Above all, this statement constitutes interference in governmental functions by an accredited diplomat in the host country and pressure on ongoing judicial proceedings, which, in turn, represents a gross violation of the Vienna Convention and undermines the foundations of the rules-based international order.

This is not the first instance when an accredited ambassador of a foreign country has attacked Georgian governance and justice with a disinformation narrative. I remind you that, to this day, we have not heard an apology from any participating embassy for the slanderous démarche demanding Saakashvili’s transfer to another country, ostensibly due to his allegedly dying condition, but in reality seeking his release. That this démarche of February 27, 2023, was unfounded and slanderous towards Georgian governance and justice was confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights’ decision of May 12, 2023, two months after the démarche,” writes Papuashvili.