At its meeting on 22 June 2016 the ALDE group of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted the following statement:

Strasbourg, 22 June 2016 

It is with utmost attention that ALDE-PACE is following the situation in Georgia ahead of the parliamentary elections that will take place on 8 October. We are deeply concerned that several Georgian politicians, including our former and current colleagues, as well as journalists have recently been harassed and physically attacked.

ALDE-PACE strongly condemns these attacks and calls on Georgia, Council of Europe member since 1999, to take appropriate action in order to bring the individuals responsible for violence to justice and to prevent such acts from occurring in the future. Violence cannot be a means of political struggle, and impunity for those who physically attack politicians and journalists is a serious threat to democracy.