Shalva Papuashvili: Mr. Herczyński should understand well that as long as I am the Speaker of Parliament, we will not allow a foreigner to appoint a judge — let them rest themselves and give us a rest too
"I have told Mr. Herczyński and many others from Brussels more than once: if they couldn't understand in English, they are slowly learning Georgian, so perhaps they will understand in Georgian—as long as I personally am a member of Parliament and its Speaker, we will not allow the Constitution to be violated and a judge to be appointed by a foreigner. Let them rest themselves and give us a rest too," Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told journalists.
According to him, Brussels wants to "appoint judges for us ourselves, restrict our independence and sovereignty, and interfere in our justice system," which the Georgian authorities will not give them the right to do.
"For the public to precisely comprehend what Brussels' demand is: they demand that judges in Georgia be appointed with the decisive word of foreigners. 1. This contradicts our Constitution. 2. This contradicts the idea of Georgia's independence. We did not fight for independence, and unlike other republics, we did not break away from the Soviet Union through blood and struggle, just so that some bureaucrat from Brussels could now restrict our independence.
I want to state once and emphatically, I have told this to Mr. Herczyński and many others from Brussels more than once: if they couldn't understand in English, they are slowly learning Georgian, and perhaps they will understand in Georgian: as long as I personally am a member of Parliament and its Speaker, we will not allow the Constitution to be violated and a judge to be appointed by a foreigner. If they don't like this, it is understandable—we understand they don't like it, they want to gain control over the court and appoint judges themselves. We know what their taste is; take a look at the so-called reports and conclusions related to various cases by their hired 'NGOs,' and you will understand what their taste is. Eka Gigauri, the head of 'Transparency International,' is Mr. Herczyński's taste. That same Eka Gigauri, who calls the October 4 storming of the President's Palace a 'fence incident.' That is his taste. I want Mr. Herczyński to understand once and for all that we will not surrender our independence. We have understood and it is clear that they do not like this, but why are they fighting? It is clear that they want to appoint judges for us themselves, restrict our independence and sovereignty, and interfere in our justice system. We say that we will not give them the right to do this. Let them rest themselves and give us a rest too," stated Shalva Papuashvili.
