EU Statement on Ugulava's Arrest
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 4 Jul.'14 / 17:12

EU said it follows closely the arrest of one of the UNM opposition party leaders, Gigi Ugulava and called on the Georgian authorities “to ensure that the judicial process is fully independent, transparent, and free of political influence.”

"We are following closely the arrest of Mr Gigi Ugulava at Tbilisi airport on 3 July. We note that Mr. Ugulava, previously suspended as Mayor of Tbilisi, is the opposition's chief campaign organiser during the ongoing municipal elections in Georgia. We recall Prime Minister Garibashvili's announcement on 14 April of a moratorium on the arrest and prosecution of opposition figures during this election period,” reads a statement, released by spokesperson of EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on July 4.
 
“We call once more upon the Georgian authorities to ensure that the judicial process is fully independent, transparent, and free of political influence, in line with the commitments undertaken by Georgia when it signed the Association Agreement with the European Union last week on 27 June 2014," the statement reads.

Prosecution has filed a motion with the Tbilisi City Court requesting for ordering pre-trial detention of Ugulava; court hearing is expected for Friday evening.

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