USA and EU criticize Georgian authorities for sentencing Okruashvili

The agreement of Georgian authorities with the opposition on the system of parliamentary elections, which also implies the release of political prisoners, is in jeopardy because of the sentence passed to Irakli Okruashvili, a former minister of defence, the statements of the Embassies of the USA and European Union (EU) assert.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 13, the court found Irakli Okruashvili guilty of participating in riots at the protest action in Tbilisi on June 20-21, 2019, and sentenced him to five years in prison.

On April 14, the US Embassy to Georgia Concern expressed its concern over the verdict to Okruashvili. "The time and circumstances of Irakli Okruashvili's arrest are causing concern about political interference and the selective application of justice. We urge all the signatories to support the letter and spirit of the March 8 agreement," says the statement posted on the Embassy's website.

Karl Harzel, the EU Ambassador in Georgia, has also criticized the verdict to Okruashvili. According to his story, the circumstances of the case "fail to contribute to building the trusting relationships around the inter-party agreement, which all the major parties reached on March 8."

In his opinion, in Georgia, because of the verdict to Okruashvili, the risk of "political polarization" in the country is increasing. Mr Harzel's comment was circulated by the EU Embassy.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 15, 2020 at 08:08 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.