Papuashvili Blames Brussels for 'Falsehoods,' Links EU Criticism to Saakashvili Case
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, July 21, 2025
Georgian Dream-led Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has accused Brussels of spreading misinformation about Georgia, linking current European Union criticism to what he described as past "falsehoods" related to the imprisonment and health of former president Mikheil Saakashvili.
"When someone looks for any grain of justice in Brussels' claims against Georgia, let's not forget that it is Brussels that invented Saakashvili's dementia and tried to free him from prison with demarches until the Strasbourg court put an end to this," Papuashvili wrote in a social media post.
According to Papuashvili, the European Union waged what he called a nearly two-year campaign against Georgia's judiciary and state institutions. He alleged that Brussels-funded NGOs produced false medical reports about Saakashvili and promoted narratives that the Georgian government was acting on behalf of Russia.
"There were fake medical reports from Brussels-funded NGOs and 'the government is killing Saakashvili on Russia's orders' campaigns," he wrote. "Exactly as fake and funded by Brussels as today."
He further claimed that, following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights and Saakashvili's reported recovery, EU officials have failed to take responsibility.
"After the Strasbourg court's decision and after Saakashvili became the first patient in the world to be cured of dementia, have you heard an apology from anyone in Brussels or from its ambassador? Anything like regret that they were slandering us? No," Papuashvili stated.
He concluded that what he sees as past disinformation from Brussels has laid the groundwork for current criticisms of the Georgian government. "Brussels's then falsehood gave rise to today's falsehood," he wrote.
Papuashvili's comments come amid heightened tensions between Georgia and EU institutions, following warnings from the European Parliament and European Commission over the country's democratic trajectory and potential consequences for visa-free travel.
