Georgian speaker rebukes EU over silence on arrests of Armenian opposition figures

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has lashed out at the European Union for what he described as its silence on the detention of opposition politicians in Armenia ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to Telegram channel Sputnik Georgia.

“Several dozen opposition politicians were detained in Armenia ahead of the elections, and the European Union did not react to this fact at all,” Papuashvili said, News.Az reports, citing News Armenia.

He argued that arrests carried out in accordance with the law should not be subject to political double standards.

“If someone has committed a crime, they should be detained. That is the rule of law. If it is good for Washington, Berlin and Yerevan, it should be equally good for Tbilisi,” he said.

Papuashvili further said Georgia’s judicial system complies with international legal standards, pointing to prosecutorial oversight and jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights.

“Behind every criminal case stands an accusation by the prosecutor’s office and the Strasbourg practice, which confirms the correctness of Georgian justice,” he said.

News.Az