- The EU’s Spokesperson reminded Georgian authorities of their primary responsibility for Mikheil Saakashvili’s health, urging them to take all measures to ensure proper medical care for him. Concerns over the ex-President’s health continue to grow in recent weeks as several medical conclusions emerge documenting his grave condition.
- The Public Defender’s Office said the appeals court verdict in Nika Gvaramia’s case makes the political motivation behind his sentence apparent. The opposition-minded TV executives got 3.5 years in jail for what the Public Defender found was a commercial case that should carry no prison term. The verdict “does not correspond to the fundamental principles of criminal law” and “lacks justification,” said the human rights institution officials, asking the President to pardon Gvaramia.
- The State Security Service detained a Georgian citizen, saying that Tsiskara Tokhosashvili, also known as “Emir Isa” joined the Islamic State in 2015 and later became “quite an influential figure” among the members of this terrorist organization.
Talk of the Day
- The majority party leaders, including chair Irakli Kobakhidze and parliamentary whip Mamuka Mdinaradze, found themselves in hot water after saying the Georgian fighters enrolled in Ukraine’s armed forces may “automatically” lose Georgian citizenship. Many Georgians balked at what seemed to be a threat, while lawyers pointed out that even though the law mentions joining a foreign army as one of the legal grounds for terminating citizenship, the process is not automatic and requires the president’s explicit decision on each case. In recent days, PM Garibashvili and Georgian Dream have been fueling a polarizing debate about Georgian fighters in Ukraine.
Comings and goings
- Yesterday Nino Lomjaria, Public Defender had her last day in office. Civic activists and organizations, opposition parties, as well as foreign diplomats sang eulogies for her six-year term, as the parliamentary procedure to elect the new human rights official seems stalled.
