In the morning of February 23, the Georgian police special forces stormed the United National Movement (UNM) headquarters to detain Nika Melia, the leader of the biggest opposition party. This came 5 days after the former PM of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, citing disagreement with his party colleagues over the arrest of Nika Melia, resigned following the Tbilisi City Court decision to send the UNM leader to pre-trial detention.
“Unfortunately, I could not reach a common understanding on this matter with my team and decided to resign. I hope that this step will contribute to reduced polarisation in our political space since I believe that polarization and confrontation pose the greatest risks to our country’s future and economic development” - Gakharia stated in his resignation speech. Soon after Gakharia’s resignation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) “temporarily postponed the planned detention of Nikanor Melia”, who decided to stay at the UNM HQ, along with the party supporters and other opposition leaders to defend himself from being taken into custody.
The very same day Gakgaria resigned, the Georgian Dream (GD) party nominated Irakli Garibashvili, a former PM (2013-2015) and incumbent Minister of Defence of Georgia, as a successor to Gakharia. Garibashvili, 39, infamous for his relentless and ear-piercing criticism of the opposition and a personal favourite of Bidzina Ivanishvili, has worked in Ivanishvili’s companies for eight years prior to going into politics in late 2011.
On the evening of February 22, a nearly single-party Parliament of Georgia voted and approved the new cabinet led by Garibashvili, who commenced his first working day by greenlighting the MIA to execute a special operation to arrest the opposition leader.
It all started with the Russian Duma member from the Communist Party, Sergei Gavrilov, visiting Georgia within the framework of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy. On June 20, 2019, Gavrilov took the speaker’s seat in the Parliament of Georgia and addressed the audience in the Russian language, causing anger and fury among the Georgians who spontaneously gathered in front of the Parliament to protest. In the evening of that day, tensions mounted and part of the protesters tried to enter the Parliament building, which was met with the riot police using, what has been widely believed to be, a disproportionate force - tear gas and rubber bullets, injuring hundreds of people, including journalists.
Days after the violent crackdown, MP Nika Melia, among others, was charged for inciting and heading mass violence on the night of June 20-21. The court ruled bail for Melia. The opposition leader was also obliged by the Court of Appeals to wear an electronic bracelet, a monitoring device used for defendants under house arrest. Later, on November 1, 2020, while protesting the results of the Parliamentary elections, Melia took off the bracelet and has since refused to wear it, something for which the Tbilisi City Court has increased the bail by 40,000 GEL. Following Melia’s refusal to pay the bail, the Prosecutor’s Office asked the court to replace the UNM Chairperson’s bail with pre-trial detention, leading to the increased political tensions in the country.
Recent political developments in Georgia have been a matter of deep concern for the country’s allies. Georgia’s international partners on both sides of the Atlantic have issued statements, urging the parties to act with utmost restraint and responsibility to avoid further escalation even prior to Melia’s detention. NATO PA President, Gerald E. Connolly issued a statement warning the parties that “Overcoming the protracted political impasse is crucial for Georgia’s democratic future and for its Euro-Atlantic integration”. The European People’s Party (the biggest political group in the European Parliament) tweeted that Georgia “returns to the persecution of political opponents, selective justice & instrumentalized judiciary” and called for “snap elections & resumption of a dialogue between the government & the opposition”. Hans Van Baalen, ALDE President has also urged the government to diffuse the tensions through “a new round of free, fair and transparent elections.”
Notwithstanding these calls, the GD government with a newly confirmed PM in the lead deepened the crisis by arresting the opposition leader, which was met with harsh criticism from the West. The #GeorgiaCrisis was the first topic Ned Price, State Department spokesperson touched upon during the daily press briefing on February 23: “I will start things off today with Georgia. The United States is deeply troubled by the arrest of opposition leader Nika Melia and other members of the opposition in Georgia”, stated Price after greeting the journalists. The briefing was followed by the full statement of the State Department: “The United States is deeply troubled by the arrest of opposition leader Nika Melia and other members of the opposition in Georgia. Polarizing rhetoric, force, and aggression are not the solution to Georgia’s political differences. We call on all sides to avoid actions that could further escalate tensions and to engage in good faith negotiations to resolve the current political crisis. The United States stands ready to support a democratic, secure, and prosperous Georgia.”
Another statement, condemning the “violent raid” of the UNM HQ and the detention of its leader, Nika Melia, as well as dozens of activists, came from the US lawmakers. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chair of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, along with Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), co-chairs of the House Georgia Caucus said: “The Georgian government’s decision to violently raid the United National Movement headquarters to arrest its leader, Nika Melia, and dozens of activists is profoundly troubling,” noting that “The corrupt use of Georgia’s law enforcement and judiciary to execute politically-motivated actions jeopardizes what remains of Georgia’s democracy and its Euro-Atlantic path.” The lawmakers underscored that “All political parties in Georgia must cease provocations and negotiate a peaceful resolution to this crisis,” together with calling for “the immediate release of all political prisoners”, including the UNM leader Nika Melia and Giorgi Rurua, pro-opposition Mtavari Arkhi TV shareholder.
Georgia’s Public Defender, as well as local CSOs, have all condemned the decision to use pre-trial detention for the opposition leader. The opposition parties stand in solidarity with Nika Melia and believe it is yet another politically motivated case under the GD government.
Storming of the UNM office and arresting its leader Nika Melia has triggered a spontaneous anti-government protest outside the Government Administration Building. Later, the protesters marched towards the Parliament, on Rustaveli Avenue, where they set up tents and continued the demonstration. The protest ended shortly as political leaders headed to the residence of the EU ambassador to conduct a meeting with the EU and US diplomats, though a number of activists and politicians stayed in front of the Parliament building to commence the permanent protest until Melia is freed. A ‘large-scale’ rally has been scheduled on February 26, promising to bring a much bigger crowd to the main avenue of the capital.
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