The prime minister of Georgia threatened participants of the protests on May 12-13

Georgian PM threatened protesters

Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated at a special briefing that the threat of sanctions from the US and the EU would not deter the government from passing the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law.

Additionally, the prime minister placed the responsibility for any possible incidents during the protests planned for May 12-13 on the “radical opposition” and threatened severe punishment for the participants of these incidents. Kobakhidze emphasized that “their crimes will not go unpunished, and the president is unlikely to pardon them” (hinting at the recent pardon of Lazar Grigoriadis, a participant in last year’s protests).

According to Kobakhidze, research shows that over 80% of Georgia’s population support the transparency of non-governmental organizations, and over 60% directly support the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill.

“Today, the Georgian state is sovereign as never before, and this sovereignty will be further strengthened. Alongside sovereignty, the rule of law in Georgia will also be reinforced. Therefore, we once again promise that anyone who raises a hand against the state, government institutions, and police will face the full force of the law,” said Irakli Kobakhidze.

"Reconsider aid to Georgia, impose sanctions" – 29 US Congress members demand withdrawal of foreign agents bill

“The Georgian government can choose whether to continue down the dark path towards Russian-style authoritarianism and face all the consequences.”

At the same time, Kobakhidze urged law enforcement officers to exercise maximum patience:

“We have reliable information that aggressive youth groups, organized by the radical opposition and funded from abroad, are planning violent actions against the Georgian parliament and police on May 12-13. I want to warn every member of these aggressive groups of the radical opposition that each one will be held accountable for their violent actions.

At the same time, I would like to ask law enforcement officers to show maximum patience in responding to violence and insults.

I would like to thank law enforcement officers once again for acting at a higher level than American and European counterparts, despite the scale and completely unacceptable level of violence over the past few weeks.

Georgia is a small country where people should especially care for each other. Therefore, the harsh forms of response to criminals, usually demonstrated by American or French police, are unacceptable for Georgian law enforcement.”

Georgian PM threatened protesters