Co-rapporteurs from Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on honouring Georgia’s obligations have called on the Georgian authorities to ensure that the legal proceedings against ex-PM Vano Merabishvili and ex-healthcare minister Zurab Tchiaberashvili are conducted transparently and with full respect the European Convention on Human Rights.

The two co-rapporteurs, Michael Aastrup Jensen of Denmark and Boriss Cilevičs of Latvia said in a statement on May 27: “It is important that any perception of partiality or political motivation in these processes is avoided.”

In the same statement the two co-rapporteurs “strongly condemned” the homophobic violence in Tbilisi on May 17.

“Such violence and blatant intolerance have no place in a democratic society. We especially regret the participation of members of the clergy in this violence, given the high moral authority the Georgian Orthodox Church enjoys in Georgian society. We expect that the Georgian authorities will prosecute all perpetrators of this unacceptable violence in full compliance with the law,” reads the statement, which also welcomes PM Ivanishvili’s remarks that there will be no impunity for the perpetrators of the May 17 violence, whether they belong to the clergy or not.

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Jean-Claude Mignon, will visit Georgia on May 28-29. During the visit he plans meetings with President Saakashvili; PM Ivanishvili; Parliamentary Chairman Davit Usupashvili; Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze; deputy PM and Minister of Education Giorgi Margvelashvili, who is GD’s presidential candidate, State Minister for Reintegration Paata Zakareishvili.