Shalva Tadumadze, the Chair of the Criminal Chamber of the Georgian Supreme Court, on Wednesday said he would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to “l(fā)egally restore his fundamental rights and freedoms” that he said had been violated by Lithuania following the country’s decision to sanction 20 Georgian officials, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, after the Georgian Government's move last month to postpone European Union accession talks until 2028.

Tadumadze’s response came after the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry last week published a list of sanctioned individuals holding high-ranking positions in Georgia, saying “as a result of the violence and repression of peaceful protesters, journalists, and opposition figures [during the protest rallies in Tbilisi against the suspension of the talks] the list of sanctioned Georgian politicians was expanded in cooperation with Estonia”.

In his letter to the Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, Tadumadze called for inviting the Lithuanian Ambassador to the country to “provide an explanation  on what basis the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has made the unreasonable decision”.

I request to invite the Lithuanian Ambassador and ensure my attendance at the said meeting, to obtain an official explanation on what basis the Lithuanian Foreign Minister [...]  included me in the list of those sanctioned as a Georgian politician”, Tadumadze said in a letter to Botchorishvili.

“I would also like to receive an official explanation on the basis of what evidence and information the Lithuanian state considered me to be a gross violator of fundamental human rights in Georgia, while during my judicial career I have considered about five thousand criminal cases and only two cases have been appealed to the European Court of Human Rights”, he said.

Tadumadze added in both of the latter cases, the ECHR had “clearly explained that the decisions I have taken are legally justified and politically impartial”.