Speaker: Only European Parliament members need October 4 case detainees to remain in prison

“Those convicted and serving sentences for the violence during the failed October 4 attempt to overthrow the government are, first and foremost, prisoners of the shamelessness of foreign forces,” Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told journalists.

Papuashvili was responding to a question about October 4 case defendants Murtaz Zodelava and Lasha Beridze applying to the Prosecutor’s Office to enter into plea agreements.

“They encouraged them. For months, they conducted a campaign, presenting Salome Zourabichvili as supposedly the legitimate president, while diplomats and foreign politicians visited her. They posed with her against the backdrop of the presidential flag. It was precisely this that encouraged radical groups to storm the Presidential Palace.

After that, they abandoned these people in prison, and they are serving their sentences. The radicals who fled the scene that day are now calmly outside, while others are today prisoners of their shamelessness, including some of the organizers.

When we talk about Zodelava and others who subsequently requested plea agreements and are now repenting and apologizing for their crimes, it is because of their shamelessness that these people are in prison over the October 4 events. If they acknowledge their crimes and leave prison in due time, I think they will pave the way for the prisoners who remain behind bars to this day because of their shamelessness,” Papuashvili said.

According to Papuashvili, there is no longer any debate over whether the October 4 rally was peaceful or violent.

“No one anywhere in the world is asking anymore whether October 4 was a peaceful or violent protest. Everyone knows that it involved violence and an assault. Everyone knows that a crime was committed against Georgia.

Now, some are giving them hope that various foreign forces and groups are working to secure their release. They should no longer believe this lie and should cooperate with their own country. Ultimately, their own country will stand by them, not any diplomat or foreign politician.

I call on everyone to acknowledge what they did against their homeland and take responsibility, including a commitment not to commit such a crime against their country again. The Georgian state will show leniency toward them,” Papuashvili said.

Asked about criticism from local opposition politicians regarding decisions on plea agreements, Papuashvili said that “these people are weapons in the hands of foreign forces against Georgia.”

According to him, the only people who need those accused in the October 4 case to remain in prison are European Parliament members who use their names during debates on resolutions concerning Georgia.

“These people are weapons in the hands of foreign forces against our country. They were used as weapons on October 4 as well, when they attempted to overthrow our country. You remember the direct encouragement from Brussels, including the posts European politicians were publishing from Brussels during the attempted overthrow and how they encouraged them to commit crimes.

The only people who need them to remain in prison are those European Parliament members who use their names during debates on resolutions. Today, they are weapons in the hands of foreign states, governments or groups against our country. They must understand this and not allow themselves to be used as weapons by people such as Rasa Juknevičienė and others who pursue policies hostile to Georgia,” Papuashvili said.