Parliament Speaker, Davit Usupashvili, said he would not cooperate with those politicians who would encourage violence and disobeying decisions of court.

“Every politician, whether in the government or in the opposition, should unconditionally renounce: a) justifying and making direct or indirect calls for any kind of violence and physical confrontation; b) any type of disobedience to decisions of court, police and any other state authority,” Usupashvili said in a written statement

“Meeting of these minimal standards will be a necessary precondition for me to continue either cooperation or dialogue with any politician in the future,” Usupashvili said.

In the statement, Usupashvili, who is one of the leaders of Republican Party, part of the GD ruling coalition, does not mention specific politicians, but reference is apparently also made to PM Irakli Garibashvili, who earlier on Thursday actually justified, as he put it, “aggression” against UNM opposition party.

PM Garibashvili, who is the leader of the GD ruling coalition, said at a government session on Thursday morning that the UNM is a “criminal organization”, which has “no right to remain in politics” and “aggression” against the party is “natural” after videos of sexual abuse of detainees by law enforcement officers, when UNM was in power, were leaked in public domain.

Since those videos were leaked, pro-government groups this week held series of rallies outside offices of UNM party in over dozen of towns across the country during which in some places UNM offices’ doors were nailed or welded shut and in some locations red paints thrown at the opposition party’s offices and windows shattered.

Speaking during the government session PM Garibashvili also said, referring to UNM: “They should be grateful for the fact that over the past three years people have not done to them the same what is depicted in these videos – my remarks might be rude, but they deserve it.”

Another part of Usupashvili’s statement about disobeying court orders, was apparently referring to remarks by Rustavi 2 TV head, Nika Gvaramia, who said that he would resist any court verdict in the ongoing ownership dispute over the broadcaster that would order change of ownership. In parallel to ongoing court hearing in the Tbilisi City Court on October 22, Rustavi 2 TV supporters are gathered outside the broadcaster’s headquarters, saying that they will defend the TV station and resist what they say is government’s attempt to take over Rustavi 2 TV.