23 May 2025,   09:45
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Sanctions, visa restrictions have become tools for political vendetta and dishonestly gaining influence, and are far from respecting elementary legal principles, which is deeply un-European - Papuashvili

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament responds to the statement by Germany`s Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, who said "we don`t want human rights violators to come to our country".
"In light of the German Ambassador`s recent statement, I feel compelled to remind the public that several months ago, Zurab Adeishvili visited Germany, where, as a representative of the Ukrainian government, he participated in official meetings and was even seen in the Bundestag visitors’ gallery.

For those who may be unaware, let me outline the human rights violations attributable to Adeishvili, which have already resulted in final convictions:

kidnapping and mutilation of Koba Davitashvili – 6 years;
prison torture case – 4 years and 6 months;
illegal seizure of the wine company Akura – 1 year and 6 months;
seizure of Iberia TV – 1 year and 6 months;
attempted bankruptcy of Cartu Bank – 5 years and 3 months (ironically, Giorgi Isakadze, founder of the media outlet, where Ambassador made his statement, has admitted his own involvement in this last human rights violation).

If the German government was genuinely committed to opposing human rights violators, it would either refuse to host him officially or, if this hosting was an oversight, at least ban entry for one of the key architects of a proven torture and racketeering system. That has not happened. Such instances demonstrate that sanctions or visa restrictions have been weaponized for political vendettas and the dishonest acquisition of influence, undermining fundamental legal principles - this is fundamentally un-European", - writes Shalva Papuashvili.

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