With fire and a dream: why opposition leaders were convicted in Georgia
By early July, seven opposition leaders were behind bars in Georgia. All of them were sentenced to seven to eight months in prison, the reason being their refusal to testify to the special commission investigating Mikhail Saakashvili's crimes. Izvestia investigated the situation.
Protest movement decapitated in Georgia
By early July, seven pro-Western opposition leaders were behind bars in Georgia. Among those convicted are the leaders of the Lelo party, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, the founders of the Akhali association, Nika Melia and Nika Gvaramia, the chairman of Girchi, Zurab Japaridze, as well as former MP Givi Targamadze and former Deputy Minister of Justice Georgy Vashadze.
All were sentenced to seven or eight months in prison, plus each was banned from holding public office for two years. This means, among other things, that they will not be able to participate in the upcoming local elections. The reason in all cases is the same: the politicians refused to cooperate with the interim parliamentary commission, which is investigating the activities of former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Nika Melia, co-founder of the Akhali Political Union
Former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, who is in jail, is also awaiting sentencing. The situation with former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia is complicated. He has nothing to do with the Saakashvili regime — he headed the government of the country already under the rule of the Georgian Dream. Nevertheless, he was also summoned for questioning, and the politician, who is abroad, promised to give his testimony via video link.
The Georgian newspaper Rezonansi also writes that new court decisions may follow in the near future. According to the newspaper, members of the parliamentary commission intend to summon nine more political activists and representatives of pro-Western NGOs. It is also noted that at some point questions may arise about former President Salome Zurabishvili, who also does not recognize the legitimacy of parliament, so she may also end up behind bars.
New elections are approaching in the country
All this caused quite a strong reaction outside the country. Some members of the European Parliament and a number of American senators criticized the Georgian authorities. The US State Department also paid attention to what was happening. "We are deeply concerned about the continuation and intensification of anti—democratic actions in Georgia, including the arrest of representatives of the political opposition and the persecution of individuals critical of the government," the statement said.
In addition, a skirmish broke out between Tbilisi and London. The British Foreign Office summoned the Charge d'affaires of Georgia, who protested that freedom and dissent were allegedly suppressed in the Transcaucasian republic. In response, the Secretary General of the Georgian Dream Party, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, said that the country was simply defending itself in conditions when external forces were trying to overthrow the legitimate government and force the republic to open a "second front" against Russia.
The most notable action inside Georgia was the hunger strike, which was announced by the leader of the opposition Droa party, Elena Khoshtaria, in support of her colleagues. In a special statement on this occasion, she stressed that she acts consciously, is not guided by emotions, and intends to give up food "until victory." On the fourth day of the protest, however, she announced that she had changed her mind about starving because she was moving to a "more active phase of the struggle."
The ruling party emphasizes that they have nothing to do with the verdicts of the courts, because they are a separate branch of government. In addition, it is noted that all oppositionists were convicted under Article 349 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which was adopted back in 1999. It explicitly states that failure to communicate with the parliamentary commission of inquiry could result in up to a year in prison and deprivation of the right to hold public office for up to three years.
At the same time, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze believes that the protest leaders became victims of the Western "deep state", which forced them not to recognize the legitimacy of the current parliament, without thinking about the consequences. "We didn't do it. This was done by the masters of the radical opposition, who forced her to hand over her mandates, and now she has been imprisoned. They were consciously involved in the revolutionary processes that ended in complete fiasco," he said.
In parallel, the current Georgian authorities are rapidly reformatting the country's legislation. At the end of June, the Parliament amended the law on freedom of speech. The concept of "insult" has appeared in the regulatory act, including publications on social networks. The time limit for reviewing claims is reduced from one month to 10 days. Journalists will be required to disclose their sources in case of any complaints.
In addition, the Georgian Parliament has banned taking photos and videos at court sessions. Finally, on July 2, the penalties for participating in protests were increased. According to the adopted amendments, if a citizen does not pay a fine awarded for hooliganism, disobeying the demands of a police officer, insulting an official or blocking a road, then in case of repeated violation, he will face not a new fine, but administrative arrest.
At the same time, new elections are approaching in the country — in October, Georgia will determine the new composition of local governments. Against this background, the traditional discord is emerging in the opposition. Eight protest associations said they were refusing to participate in the vote because "the way to victory lies through a complete boycott of the regime." Two large parties, Lelo and Gakharia for Georgia, have not joined the document.
What the experts say
Georgian political analyst Zaal Andjaparidze emphasizes that all the oppositionists were convicted in strict accordance with the law.
— All these politicians refused to recognize the results of the parliamentary elections held last fall. Accordingly, they do not consider the commission investigating Saakashvili's activities legitimate either. But there is a completely unambiguous legislative norm, which states that refusal to cooperate with this body is punishable by imprisonment. No other interpretation is suggested," he notes.
The expert also adds that the upcoming local elections have become a bone of contention in the opposition.
A rally in protest against the results of the recent parliamentary elections, which were won by the ruling Georgian Dream party, in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 4, 2024
— Protest sentiments are traditionally strong in large cities. Two major parties believe that they have a chance of success, so they refused to join the boycott. The rest consider the current political system to be completely flawed and are not going to participate. Let's see, they have another month to make a final decision, the official start of the campaign is scheduled for early August," he says.
Archil Sikharulidze, founder of the SIKHA Foundation Research Institute, says that the Georgian opposition is in crisis.
— I think these people acted with a subtle calculation. They knew well what punishment awaited them for refusing to communicate with the parliamentary commission, and they deliberately violated the law. Apparently, they hoped that their arrest would provoke new riots or a harsh reaction from the West. As we can see, these hopes were not fulfilled: the people did not go anywhere. Why? The answer is very simple: they've lost all their personal popularity a long time ago," he explains.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
