PM Gakharia on case of opposition TV channel co-founder: all criminals must go to prison, the courts decide
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the government never interferes in issues of the judiciary. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
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Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has reiterated that the case of the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua ‘has nothing to do with politics’ and it is the judiciary which makes decisions on criminal cases.
The opposition parties refused to vote for an election bill recently passed in parliament and following amendments to the election code because Rurua remains in prison.
The opposition claims that the ruling party ‘accepted the release’ of Rurua in the March 8 election agreement along with opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili.
The ruling party says this is a lie.
All offenders must go to prison and this must not be connected with the political process. The Georgian court delivers verdicts on such issues," Gakharia said.
Rurua was detained last year for alleged illegal possession of firearms and has been refused bail several times.
PM Gakharia stated that the parties who refused to vote for the bill did so because of their ‘egoism and narrow political interests and they justify [their refusal to vote for the bill because of a factual, criminal case]...the move will not work in the eyes of the Georgian people.’
Earlier this year, a Georgian woman with US citizenship accused Rurua of murdering seven of her family members back in the 1990s.
The opposition recently criticised the German ambassador to Georgia, one of facilitators of the election talks, who said prior to the vote on the constitutional changes that Rurua had not been mentioned in the March 8 election agreement.
The ruling party says that the opposition is ‘destructive’ and through the refusal to vote for the constitutional changes they (the opposition) violated the March 8 election agreement.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says that it is fulfilling all the conditions of the election agreement made with the opposition last week with the mediation of the diplomatic corps, responding to allegations of the opposition regarding the release of imprisoned opposition leaders and members.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has denied to participate in parliament's work despite the recent election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party last week, stating that not all conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled.
Eighteen opposition parties, who participated in the election talks with the ruling Georgian Dream party mediated by the diplomatic corps, continue to demand the ruling party ‘fully abide’ by the March 8 election agreement and release co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua.
The denial came several hours before the ‘historic vote’ of election bill in parliament today which proposes a more proportional electoral system for the autumn parliamentary elections, per the ruling party and the opposition March 8 election agreement.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has responded to the recent conviction of the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Giorgi Rurua, stating that if someone commits a crime, he must be held accountable, no matter whether he owns a television or is labelled as a political prisoner by the opposition.
Twenty Georgian opposition parties released a joint statement earlier today in which they said that the recent conviction of a co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua has political grounds.