“They in ‘Georgian Dream’ know very well that they will have to negotiate with both Europe and the United States—this accumulation of hostages and harsh sentences is their way of having more to bargain with,” said analyst Lela Jejelava during an appearance on PalitraNews’s program “Day’s Newsroom.”
According to her, there was nothing unexpected in the sentence handed down to Saba Jikia, and it is very clear that quite severe sentences will be imposed on everyone currently on trial.
“For a criminal case, a person under 21 is considered a minor, and in principle, they convicted a minor and sentenced him to four and a half years for a punch. Sending a minor to prison for practically five years means you don’t care about their fate or their future, and it’s simply a show for everyone that whoever dares to go against the government will be punished this way. The main point here is that Saba Jikia, Mate Devidze, and these truly remarkable boys, who went into the darkness to seek light, have, with their resilience, unbroken spirit, and incredible smiles, passed judgment on the government in return,” Jejelava stated.
She also discussed the resolution adopted by the European Parliament, noting that “the government is very concerned about the international community’s attitude toward it and the fact that its legitimacy is hanging in the air.”
According to Jejelava, this resolution indicates that Europe has a very clearly defined position regarding the “Georgian Dream” government.
“The government is very concerned about what’s happening. It’s concerned about the international community’s attitude toward it, and it’s concerned that its legitimacy is hanging in the air, both domestically and internationally. How they position themselves is one thing, but in reality, we can draw conclusions from their actions. The fact that even taking a photo with some international actor or showing that ‘look, someone met us and shook our hand’ is so important to them speaks volumes about their concerns. It’s impossible for them not to be concerned because it would be very difficult for a country like Georgia to survive in international isolation.
Of course, such tough resolutions are not typical for the European Union. You know that Europe has a fairly serious bureaucracy, and therefore, the decision-making mechanism is not simple. But the fact that 490 deputies supported what we read in the text means that Europe has a very clearly defined position regarding the ‘Georgian Dream’ government.
As for the number of hostages and harsh sentences by ‘Georgian Dream’—this is exactly so they can have more to bargain with, as they know very well they will have to negotiate with Europe and the United States. When that will happen depends on internal developments. This accumulation of hostages is, for the ‘Georgian Dream’ government, a way to have more to trade. That’s how Ivanishvili thinks and sees it. This type of attitude is very characteristic of a mafia-like matrix...
It’s clear that several countries, including Putin’s allies who have a foothold in Europe, oppose sanctions, but that doesn’t mean individual European countries won’t move toward imposing sanctions on their own if a decision is made. It seems things are heading in that direction. As for disconnection from SWIFT—that’s probably an extreme measure, just like suspending visa liberalization. That would be catastrophic. To be honest, from a political perspective, it might be expedient for pressuring this government, but from a purely human perspective, I’m very concerned about how many people would suffer under this pressure. Still, I don’t think SWIFT will be disconnected,” she noted.
Regarding the resolution’s mention of local elections, Jejelava stated that “the EU resolution was a direct gift from God to ‘Lelo’ and Gakharia, allowing them to retreat from their position painlessly.”
“We all agree that our prisoners of conscience truly represent the conscience of this protest, and we know their stance on the elections. We know the stance of the parents and family members of these prisoners of conscience. We know the stance of the people who continuously stand on Rustaveli Avenue, and they do not support the elections. We know the stance of our Western partners. I’m curious—after this, when representatives of Gakharia and ‘Lelo’ don’t change their position, which part of the protest or our society do they represent?! It will be very difficult for them to answer who they represent. I don’t have an answer to what type of voter they are appealing to. Those who like this reality will go and vote for ‘Georgian Dream.’ The so-called centrists, whom both parties are targeting, won’t go into a losing battle. They are centrists because they lean toward wherever they see strength,” the analyst noted.
Additionally, she assessed the statements of Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, regarding plans, noting that Zurabishvili has never presented a specific plan for how to reach the Charter, neither then nor now.
According to her, Zurabishvili never says anything about the specific steps needed to achieve results.
As for unity, Jejelava says, “Everyone wants unity only around themselves, and it won’t work that way.”
“I don’t think resurrecting the dead is such an easy task. When the Charter was announced, it immediately raised some questions for me. It was a document meant to be implemented after victory, but nothing was said about how to get to that victory. As for the resistance platform—I think only the president and a few NGOs, if I’m not mistaken, remain on that platform because the political parties, even the ‘Federalists,’ are among the eight political parties that support the boycott. I’m very curious how the president plans to revive this resistance. She never says anything about the specific steps needed to reach a result. This strategic confusion, in which the opposition spectrum finds itself, also harms the general protest mood. Now, seven months later, she tells us, ‘Congratulations for standing in protest for seven months,’ and I really don’t want, as one of the rank-and-file participants in this protest, to be told in another seven months, ‘Well done for holding out so long and still being alive.’ Therefore, either she presents a specific plan... Reaching the Charter is necessary, but how we get to that Charter—she didn’t have a specific plan then, and she hasn’t presented one now. As for this mythical unity she keeps talking about—it has a very specific manifestation. Unity means reconciling positions and reaching a consensus. Everyone wants unity only around themselves, and it won’t work that way,” Jejelava stated.
For reference, Salome Zurabishvili stated that neither a campaign for participating in the elections nor a boycott suits us. “I want to present a realistic plan that requires us to come to our senses—the resistance platform must be revived and form a transitional government. We need a program, and we have one—the ‘Georgian Charter,’ which needs updating,” Zurabishvili said.
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