“When so many people stand behind you, you should have enough political experience, honor, conscience, and brain not to call for ‘let’s go and take over this building,’ when you know exactly that the police will be there and clashes will occur. If so many people don’t understand this, then politics is not your business,” stated Public Defender Levan Ioseliani on PalitraNews.
According to Levan Ioseliani, responsibility for what happened lies with those who called on rally participants to go and seize the President’s palace.
“This rally was absolutely different from all previous rallies. From my perspective, the actions of a certain group of rally participants took on a violent nature. We saw how they entered the President’s palace and how the fence was demolished, and so on. When people are so exalted, especially after three months of talking about this rally – what we will do, what we will do – the organizers have what responsibility? What responsibility do they act with when they lead these children there? If these young people are arrested tomorrow and sent to prison for 6 years, who will bear responsibility for that?
[I hold responsible] those who called for ‘let’s go and take the President’s palace, let’s turn the key.’ Some of these young people don’t understand politics at all and believe someone’s call, but you know what follows if you carry out such an action? The concession is not that you yourself have sacrificed yourself, and if you want to go in and demolish the fence, what do you tell these children, what do you tell these people whom you lead there? This is not written in any law, not in any constitution, that you must break down doors and storm some palace and occupy it, and then storm somewhere else.
In the end, all of this leads to these young people ending up in prison. Does this country have so many young people to throw into prison for 5-6 years? When you are a leader, take this responsibility on yourself. I am very angry about all of this. How can you lead and bring these young people to the wall like this, some of whom may even be minors, and [tell them] ‘go, enter’ – how can such a thing be possible?” stated Levan Ioseliani.
Ombudsman: When so many people stand behind you, you should have enough political experience, honor, conscience, and brain not to call for ‘let’s go and take over this building’ – if these young people are arrested tomorrow and sent to prison for 6 years, who will bear responsibility? I am very angry
