German MP: ‘We are actively discussing how to respond to crisis of democracy in Georgia’
German MP on crisis in Georgia
German Bundestag member Knut Abraham has given an interview to Formula on the current situation in Georgia. He said Germany is actively discussing how to respond to the crisis of democracy in the country.
Abraham stressed that this is not about persecuting the people, but about holding accountable those who threaten democracy. In his view, the Georgian Dream government is acting against the values that once united Georgia and Germany.
Knut Abraham: “We believed that Georgia and Germany were united by shared values and outlooks, and now the government stands against them. On the one hand, this is shocking, but on the other, it obliges us to act and to support Georgian democracy.
The situation is very troubling. It is completely unacceptable that there are political prisoners in a member state of the Council of Europe. The detention of opposition leaders is purely political. As for the so-called [municipal] elections on 4 October: a democratic process requires a political environment where competition exists. When you detain opposition party leaders, you destroy the possibility of holding fair and free elections.
Germany is actively discussing how to respond to the crisis of democracy in Georgia. We are considering what the next steps should be in order to hold individuals — not the people — accountable. We must target only those responsible for anti-democratic actions. They are legitimate targets. Ending visa-free travel with the EU would be a very risky step for the Georgian population.
As for the attacks on the German ambassador [by Georgian Dream], I would advise everyone to avoid such actions. But I was very pleased to see the response of ordinary people who joined the Georgia–Germany friendship march.”
