“If we are talking about the Church playing a mediating role, we will only welcome it — historically, the Church has served as a reconciler, and organizing such reconciliation will be very important for the Church and the Patriarchate to partially maintain the authority that Patriarch Ilia II had,” Teimuraz Papaskiri, representative of the “Coalition for Change,” said on the PalitraNews program ‘Day’s Newsroom’.

Papaskiri also noted that “for some reason, ‘Georgian Dream’ is moving toward privatizing faith.”

In his assessment, “Georgian Dream is trying to use the Church for political purposes and to present the rating that Ilia II had as their own rating.”

"First of all, it should be noted that in the last two to three years, during the crisis, we have seen no real action from the Church. Even calls were rare, and any talk of a mediating role is excessive. At the same time, we saw that the nation was truly united in its love for the Patriarch. We were all present to say farewell to the Patriarch, but in reality, only government representatives were in Sameba and Sioni, while everyone else was outside. If the Church is to play a mediating role, we certainly welcome it — it is capable of doing so. Historically, the Church has acted as a reconciler. The Patriarch could not perform this in the last two to three years. For the Church and Patriarchate, organizing such reconciliation will be very important to partially preserve the authority that Patriarch Ilia II held.

We see that, for some reason, ‘Georgian Dream’ is moving toward privatizing faith. Irakli Kobakhidze, who has completely lost touch with common sense, said that representatives of the opposition had no moral right to be in Sameba. What ‘Georgian Dream’ did to the Georgian Church by publishing the protocols was that they claimed the opposition had no moral right to be present in the Church. No one else has ever done such a thing, and if anyone’s absence is being discussed, it should have been them.

The Patriarch belonged to everyone. He had a 93% approval rating, and how can you claim that 93% as yours when your own rigged elections show 52%? ‘Georgian Dream’ is trying to use the Church for political purposes and to portray Ilia II’s rating as their own. They launched such a campaign for the Catholicos-Patriarch that even his service is overshadowed. We see interference in the process of electing a new Patriarch, which should be free from political influence. The election of the Patriarch is entirely the decision of the Synod and the clergy," Papaskiri said.

The representative of the “Coalition for Change” also spoke about criminal cases against opposition political leaders.

Papaskiri said that representatives of “Georgian Dream” “are robbing the country, stealing millions, and in this situation, imprison people for years who have done nothing wrong.”

"‘Georgian Dream’ itself has admitted that Elene Khoshtaria is a political prisoner, as are all others in prison — whether political leaders or ordinary people. Elene Khoshtaria is in prison solely for writing on a banner with a marker, which is punishable administratively, not criminally. Incidents like this during the election period are defined by the Electoral Code, which explicitly states that only administrative proceedings can be initiated. Nowhere in the verdict is there any mention of preparing a revolution. Was there a case about that? It is difficult even to comment on the absurd statements of ‘Georgian Dream’ representatives because they have completely lost touch with reality. They have lost humanity, decency — everything associated with a normal Georgian. I do not understand the persecution of women that ‘Georgian Dream’ is carrying out. They probably toast to the clean, Georgian mother and woman, but in reality, they do nothing but persecute them.

We see the conclusion of the ‘Moscow Mechanism,’ according to which ‘Georgian Dream’ is accused of torture, a crime against humanity. The issue of chemical weapons is also raised, which is another crime against humanity. In such a situation, ‘Georgian Dream’ has to defend itself. No one should think this will go away — these two charges are of the kind that have no statute of limitations. At any time when ‘Georgian Dream’ is not in power, they will be prosecuted. Based on the Moscow Mechanism’s conclusion, this instrument can be activated by individual states and by individuals harmed by ‘Georgian Dream,’" he said.

Papaskiri also noted that the trial of politicians accused in the so-called sabotage case was closed because the case contained blank pages.

He also stated that to remain in power, “Georgian Dream is ready for anything and has crossed all boundaries.”

"Opposition conversations and contacts with foreign colleagues are treated as criminal. It is unimaginable anywhere in the world that a politician would be charged for meeting with representatives of the EU, the U.S. State Department, or any international organization. If anyone is sabotaging the country, it is ‘Georgian Dream,’ which carried out sabotage of Article 78 of the Georgian Constitution. All decisions they make are outside the framework of the Constitution, legality, and common sense.

NGOs are accused of links with hostile organizations. And who are these hostile organizations? Apparently, the EU, OSCE, UN, etc. The real enemy of this country is Russia — and for connections with Russia, who has been prosecuted or arrested? Not a single Russian spy has been discovered — does no one exist? Such links are monitored worldwide, yet only in Georgia does it seem otherwise. It is clear that they serve Russia’s interests, and for them, the enemy is the EU, the U.S., and the entire Western world.

To stay in power, ‘Georgian Dream’ is ready for anything — they have crossed all boundaries except one: so far, they have not opened fire, but given the regime, even that can no longer be ruled out," Papaskiri said.