"Georgia is a welcome partner to the European Union, but must live up to the standards of rule-of-law and freedom of the media. It is not acceptable to use the judiciary to apply selected justice directed at representatives of the opposition. We have today visited the former Prime Minister of Georgia and leader of the opposition, Vano Merabishvili, jailed in pre-trial detention. The Georgian government must declare, not only in words but also in deeds, the respect of the rule of law," said MEP Gunnar Hökmark, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group and leader of a fact-finding delegation in Georgia in the run up to the Presidential elections in October.

"Merabishvili should be released from prison until there is a fair and transparent trial," said Gunnar Hökmark.

"The government of Georgia must stop using legal actions as a way of harassing the opposition. We want to see Georgia as a partner to the European Union, but then the Georgian government must show it wants to be a partner respecting the rule-of-law and freedom of media," he concluded.

For further information:

Gunnar HÖKMARK MEP, tel.: +32 (0)2 2845822

Per Heister, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, tel.: +32 496 645530

Note to Editors

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 275 Members from 27 Member States.