President Revokes Partskhaladze’s Citizenship & Vetoes “Tents Law” Ahead of Impeachment Procedure in Parliament

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili revoked Otar Parskhaladze’s citizenship and vetoed the so-called “tent law” before the Parliament votes on her impeachment on October 18.

“Before the Parliament starts impeachment procedure, President signed a decree renouncing Georgian citizenship for Otar Partskhaladze and vetoed the amendments to the “Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations,” as another anti-European law,” – reports the President’s Administration.

Otar Partskhaladze, a former Prosecutor General and crony of Bidzina Ivanishvili who was sanctioned on September 14 by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for channeling malign Russian influence in Georgia, held dual Georgian and Russian citizenship. In September, the Ministry of Justice sent to the president the conclusion on revoking Partskhaladze’s Georgian citizenship. However, Zurabishvili then delayed the decision to revoke Partskhaladze’s citizenship, saying he should be tried as a Georgian citizen. Partskhaladze’s Georgian citizenship is a key detail because, after he was sanctioned, the National Bank of Georgia made changes to the sanctions enforcement rule, according to which international sanctions do not apply to a Georgian citizen until a Georgian court issues a guilty verdict against him, . Partskhaladze since gifted all the property and land he owned in Georgia to his son, Andria (Anzor) Partskhaladze.

As for the “Tent Law”, on October 5, Parliament endorsed the amendment to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations that the ruling party rushed through in an accelerated procedure. The law empowers police to prohibit the erection of “temporary structures” like tents during assemblies or demonstrations if such setups are deemed to pose a threat to participants’ safety, disrupt public order, interfere with the normal functioning of institutions, or are unnecessary for the event’s organization. The recently enacted legislation is commonly dubbed by opposition and activists the “New Russian Law.” Some activists staged a protest in front of the parliament building on the evening of October 5. Demonstrators erected tents and remained overnight, demanding that Georgia’s President, Salome Zurabishvili, veto the legislation.

Also Read:

• 20/09/2023 – MoJ Recommends to Revoke Partskhaladze’s Georgian Citizenship
• 19/09/2023 – National Bank Makes U-Turn, Shields Sanctioned Partskaladze
• 18/09/2023 – U.S. Sanctions | Who is Otar Partskhaladze?
• 14/09/2023 – US Sanctions Ivanishvili Crony for Channeling Russia’s Influence

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)