Member of the European Parliament Rasa Juknevičienė has said that the Georgian government’s resistance to an independent investigation indicates fear of truth and accountability, adding that this strengthens the credibility of findings revealed in a recent BBC investigation.
“The fact that the Georgian government fears an independent investigation only shows that they are afraid of the truth and accountability,” Juknevičienė said during her address to the European Parliament.
She began by thanking fellow MEPs for their efforts to award the Sakharov Prize to two imprisoned journalists, Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaghlobeli, noting that despite the distance between their prisons, their struggle for freedom is shared. According to Juknevičienė, the prize symbolized solidarity with all prisoners of conscience held in the prisons of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Reflecting on developments in both Belarus and Georgia, Juknevičienė said the erosion of democracy in these countries followed a familiar pattern. She recalled that repression began after democratic elections, initially targeting the media, particularly national broadcasters. She stressed the importance of analyzing how democratic systems deteriorate to the point where journalists end up imprisoned, warning that democracies across Europe are also vulnerable to similar threats.
Turning to the situation in Georgia, Juknevičienė said conditions are continuing to worsen and drew attention to a BBC investigation published recently. According to the report, a chemical substance first used during the First World War was allegedly deployed to suppress protests in Georgia in 2024, with chemicals mixed into water cannons used against demonstrators.
“This must be investigated,” she said, calling on the European Commission and the Council to respond and initiate an international, independent investigation into the allegations.
Juknevičienė argued that the Georgian authorities’ reluctance to allow such an investigation further undermines their position. “The fact that the Georgian government fears an independent investigation only shows that they fear the truth and accountability. This indicates that the facts uncovered by the BBC are most likely true,” she said.
She concluded by urging European institutions to support the Georgian public, emphasizing that citizens protesting and defending democratic values should not be left alone. “We must help the Georgian people who are fighting, because Georgia is Europe,” Juknevičienė said.
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