European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, speaking about Georgia's prospects for European integration, concluded that Georgia's example demonstrates "what happens when Russia wins." The EC representative is convinced that Georgia's "autocratic system suppresses" democracy, further distancing the country from a European future.
According to Marta Kos, the authorities are deceiving their people by claiming they are leading the country into the European Union, which is supposedly supposed to adapt to them. Addressing Georgian citizens, the politician emphasized that Europe is "not turning its back" on them.
"We must create a kind of democratic safety net on our continent. Enlargement is much more than just enlargement. In Georgia, you can see what happens when Russia wins... They recently passed a new law that deals a blow to the country's democratic and civic space and further distances Georgia from the European future desired by the majority of its citizens." We say to our Georgian friends, to the majority of the Georgian people who value democracy and freedom: we will not abandon you,” the European Commissioner said.
Earlier, the OSCE PA President called on the Georgian authorities to release political prisoners. While on a working visit to Georgia, Pere Juan Pons Sampietro shared details of his meeting with the country's Prime Minister with journalists. He said that during the conversation, Irakli Kobakhidze was told that one of the steps the Georgian government should take is "at least considering the release of prisoners who have spent at least 50% of their sentences in prison." When asked whether this meant these individuals were political prisoners, Sampietro evasively responded that such statements were beyond his competence.
"I'll put it this way: they are in prison because they were engaged in political activities," he concluded.
The head of the OSCE PA said that members of the delegation asked the authorities for permission to visit prisoners, including Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli, but received a negative response.
