Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated on Thursday that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) recent ruling in Saakashvili v. Georgia confirmed that “there was no injustice or political motivation” in pardoning the murderers of Sandro Girgvliani and attacker of MP Valery Gelashvili.

The Speaker noted that this particular judgment “made it clear that the Georgian court rulings are fair and do not contain any signs of political justice, which has been constantly accused by internal and external ill-wishers of our court.”

“For the past 10 years, we have heard that there is a clan in the court, that the court is biased, and that justice is political. This falsehood is being promoted by our radical opposition, their linked non-governmental organisations, and their overseeing foreign powers, which, in certain cases, surreptitiously and illegally fund these parties and non-governmental organisations,” Shalva Papuashvili claimed.

He said that “in recent years there was a constant attack on the government of Georgia, which was saturated with lies and slander.”

“They threatened us with sanctions and spread disinformation to free Saakashvili. Simultaneously, they established favourable conditions for Saakashvili abroad and his party in Georgia, and provided them with funds or support. They met with him in Brussels and Washington, reiterated support, and assigned him to posts; they promoted the extreme opposition from the outside, and eventually, they sneaked him into Georgia before the elections.

Today, the same people who launched the “Free Misha” campaign abroad are involved in the “No To Russian Law” campaign. The same individuals continue to propagate falsehoods and threaten us with sanctions. Of course, as time passes, it will become evident that we were also dealing with falsehoods and defamation. It will be shown that the law was not Russian, and the campaign was also funded by unfriendly forces in our nation.

The Strasbourg Court verdict is significant for another reason. It has been demonstrated how important it is to enact the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence so that people know who is inventing and funding these smear campaigns, be it “Free Misha”, “No Russian Law” or anything else. These initiatives have just one purpose in mind: to create separation, hatred, confrontation, and destabilisation in Georgia,” the Speaker added.