The European Parliamentarians ask the Georgian government to immediately release former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili. In the statement, European Parlamentarans speak about the decision of the Grand Chamber of Strasbourg and indicate the need for human rights protection.

"We urge the Georgian Government to respect with the final landmark the judgment of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights on the case of former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili, establishing that the Government breached Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights by pursuing “hidden agenda” and “ulterior motives” when arresting him. In today’s challenging international security environment, it is in the interests of the Georgian people that all political forces find common ground and look to the future. With this in mind, we call on the Georgian authorities to release Mr Merabishvili with no delay," -the letter reads.

The letter of the European Parliament was posted on the Facebook page of Vano Merabishvili. Opposition members responded to the letter.

"We have great hope that, unlike previous cases, the Georgian government will respect such high level signals," said Giorgi Kandelaki, member of "European Georgia".