Georgia jails top opposition figures as authorities ramp up crackdown
Georgia has jailed four key opposition figures within days as part of a monthslong crackdown on dissent that followed a disputed election last October in the South Caucasus country.
Nearly all leaders of Georgia's pro-Western opposition are now behind bars, as protests continue against the ruling Georgian Dream party and its decision last year to halt Georgia's bid to join the European Union. The demonstrators, who gather daily in the capital, Tbilisi, also say that the vote on Oct. 26 that handed Georgian Dream another term in power was not free or fair.
On Tuesday, politician Giorgi Vashadze of the Strategy Agmashenebeli party was sentenced to eight months in prison for refusing to testify in an official probe that Georgian Dream's critics call an act of political revenge.
The day before, three other opposition figures were handed comparable sentences after refusing to cooperate with the same parliamentary inquiry investigating alleged wrongdoings by the government of ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili.
Badri Japaridze and Manuka Khazaradze were both jailed for eight months, while Zurab Japaridze received seven months.
Opposition politicians have declined to attend the commission hearings, citing their ongoing boycott of parliament following the Oct. 26. election. Georgian Dream's critics say the vote was rigged with Russia 's help to hand it another term in power.
They also say the probe is a ploy by the ruling party to damage the opposition, particularly Saakashvili's United National Movement party.
Speaking to The Associated Press before he was handcuffed on Tuesday, Vashadze said the commission hearings went 'against the Georgian constitution' because no opposition lawmakers are represented, and that the probe's aim is to persecute the opposition.
'They are afraid of us because we are fighting for our country, and they see that there is big support from Georgian society… That's why I'm under arrest now,' he said.
Other prominent government critics remain in pre-trial detention for declining to appear before the commission investigating Saakashvili. They include Nika Melia, a former chairman of Saakashvili's United National Movement party, and Nika Gvaramia, who was a minister in Saakashvili's government. A former defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, is also in custody.
Melia, Gvaramia, and Zurab Japaridze were among the leaders of the opposition grouping, Coalition for Change, that finished second in the October vote, according to official results.
Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday denied that their arrests were politically motivated.
Meanwhile, anti-government protests continue daily in central Tbilisi. While numbers are far lower than last autumn, the demonstrations are big enough to block traffic around the parliament building.
Many protesters have worn masks since the government imposed harsh penalties for blocking streets.
Elene Khoshtaria, another prominent opposition politician, on Tuesday slammed Georgian Dream for using 'violence, repressions, political persecution' to snuff out dissent and Georgia's 'European future.'
She praised protesters for their persistence and called on Western countries to give stronger backing to Georgian Dream's critics.
'We are all in solidarity with all our friends and political prisoners,' she said, referring to those jailed or detained in recent weeks. 'As long as Georgia fights, I think our international partners should act in a very decisive and bold way.'
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BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Delhi: Rising school fees push Indian families to the brink
Parents in several Indian cities, including capital Delhi, are protesting against what they call "unsustainable" fee raises by private schools. These increases, they say, are stretching household budgets to a breaking point and taking a toll on their Mattey, 14, woke up on 9 May feeling confident about his English father dropped him off at his school in Indian capital Delhi, but Aaditya never got to write his exam."Two or three minutes after I entered the class, guards and bouncers asked me to leave the room," Aaditya father was still standing outside the school gates when Aaditya and a few other students were asked to get on the school bus, which dropped them off at their name was removed from Delhi Public School Dwarka's rolls after his father refused to pay a recent fee hike which he alleges was arbitrary and BBC reached out to DPS Dwarka and the Delhi Public School Society - which runs the DPS chain of schools - for comment, but did not receive a case is not an isolated one and DPS is not the only school which is facing allegations of arbitrary fee the past two months, protests have erupted across Indian cities - from Delhi to Pune to Hyderabad - as a growing number of parents accuse private schools of imposing steep fee raises. In Delhi, which has emerged as the epicentre of the protests, the issue recently made headlines after DPS Dwarka allegedly confined students in the library, hired security guards to stop them from entering classes and expelled them over unpaid dues. Parents have accused the school of punishing children for financial decisions made by their schools operate nationwide but often suffer from poor, inconsistent quality, prompting even many low-income families to choose private schools for better Delhi, rules say that private schools on government-leased land must get Directorate of Education (DoE) approval before raising fees and must admit 25% economically weaker or disadvantaged students - a condition tied to their subsidised BBC has contacted the DoE for comment on the fee rises, which parents have reported to us, but has not received a on the other hand, have argued in court and told parents that they are struggling. They cite inflation, rising staff salaries, delayed reimbursements from the government for economically weaker students and the need for infrastructure upgrades as reasons for raising fees. Divya Mattey says his son Aaditya's annual fee in 2020 was 93,400 rupees ($1,077; £802). This, he says, has more than doubled to 189,096 rupees in Mattey is among dozens of parents who have taken the school to court, alleging it has unlawfully removed students from rolls and harassed families over the fee issue."We never thought a school of this stature would treat children like this - bar them from classrooms, assign bouncers and make them sit in the library for days," he school did not answer the BBC's questions over email and on a phone call. But in court, it reportedly argued that there was no legal obligation to retain students whose fees haven't been paid. According to a report in The Indian Express newspaper, DPS claimed it suffered losses of 490m rupees last year and had to raise fees.A notice on the school's website meanwhile accuses "a small group of parents" of spreading "false and malicious information regarding the school fee structure" in an attempt to "mislead and create confusion".But the controversy reflects a broader problem.A recent survey by online community platform LocalCircles found that more than 80% of parents with children in private schools said fees had increased by over 10% this academic year. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, the rise in some schools was as high as 30%.India has no centralised regulation for private schools; each state sets its own example, Maharashtra allows a 15% fee rise every two years - subject to review if 25% of parents object - while Karnataka permits a 10% annual increase with audit justification. Enforcement, however, is weak, and legal disputes over fees often drag on for years, providing little timely relief to Singh, whose son attends Mira Model School in West Delhi, says fees rose 45% last year and another 7% this is willing to pay the earlier DoE-approved fee, but the school has refused his cheque for the current term, which began nearly three months BBC reached out to Mira Model School but received no response."It's not our job to regulate schools," Mr Singh says. "That's what the government is supposed to do."Meanwhile, many parents fear that the DPS case has set a troubling precedent."We don't want our children to be thrown out of their classes, like what happened there," says Pankaj Gupta, whose son studies at Delhi's Maharaja Agarsain Public Gupta said the school increased fees by 25% this year without advance notice."We had no choice. We had to pay," he Gupta runs a small convenience store but has faced declining sales since the pandemic. The rise of online shopping has further squeezed physical stores. Now, rising school fees are pushing his family to the BBC has reached out to Maharaja Agarsain Public School for comment. Another parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she's considering withdrawing her son from the school he attended since childhood due to an "unsustainable" 30% fee hike this year."Both my husband and I work, but our salaries haven't gone up significantly. As a parent, you try to give your child the best but sometimes that comes at great personal cost," she she admits that switching schools also feels risky - what if the next one also increases fees?"It's the same situation everywhere," she uproar has prompted the Delhi government to 10 June the state cabinet approved the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Ordinance, 2025, pending the Lieutenant Governor's approval - necessary for it to become a not yet public, Education Minister Ashish Sood says it will tighten private school fee parents are demanding greater transparency. Last weekend, hundreds protested in Delhi, urging the government to consider their feedback when drafting the Sharma Bagga, Supreme Court lawyer and secretary of a group called Justice for All, urges timely audits: "Schools' finances must be audited before each academic year so parents know what they're paying for."Back in Dwarka, Aaditya is still trying to get back to reports say DPS Dwarka has agreed to reinstate students expelled for not paying fees. But Mr Mattey says they are still waiting."The school has shown some reciprocation, but to this date my child's name is not back on the register," he says, adding that he hasn't received any assignments for the current academic session."My son is only 14. He should be focusing on his studies, not worrying about whether he'll be allowed to sit in class tomorrow."Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Cases in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania raise fear of regional trend
Kenya has been hit by a recent wave of repression, tarnishing its reputation as a beacon of democracy in East Africa. Critics fear that it is sliding down the path of her neighbours - Uganda and Tanzania, both of which are notorious for cracking down on dissent. Kenya's laws are widely regarded as being more progressive - particularly in protecting fundamental freedoms like the right to Kenya has witnessed an increasing crackdown on protests - the latest example being the killing of at least 10 people in nationwide demonstrations against President William Ruto's government while it attempted to ban live TV and radio coverage of the protests."Rogue Regime" - declared the headline of Kenya's respected Standard newspaper as it pointed out that young people had flooded the streets in defiant remembrance of those gunned down a year ago in mass anti-tax demonstrations but "Instead of a listening ear they were met with razor wire, armoured trucks and the cold grip of repression". But as far as Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen is concerned, the police showed "remarkable restraint" as they foiled an "attempted coup"."We condemn the criminal anarchists who in the name of peaceful demonstrations unleashed a wave of violence, looting, sexual assault and destruction upon our people," he said, accusing the protesters of attacking police stations and injuring 300 the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemned the police for their handling of the protest. "The unnecessary aggression and brute force that culminated in the senseless loss of life and senseless destruction of property have no place in a free democratic society," it said. The crackdown came just weeks after a 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang, died in police custody. He was arrested after being accused of defaming a senior police officer - and died in detention of assault wounds, an autopsy found. His death triggered a small protest in the capital, Nairobi, which police clamped down on and a street vendor, who was caught in the crossfire - shot at close-range, is fighting for his life in hospital. The LSK denounced his shooting as unbefitting for "any sane democracy". Its comment brought into sharp focus the fact that Kenya risks losing its status as a democracy that many Tanzanians and Ugandans envied – and drew inspiration political analyst Nicodemus Minde said there had long been an "appreciation" among Tanzanians of the ability of Kenyans to "speak truth to power". It was a view shared by Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu who told the BBC last year that "We have not pressed hard enough for democratic reform". "What Kenya did to build its democratic space is something we need to do," he said. Having miraculously survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times in 2017, Lissu has become a symbol of state repression in Tanzania. He is currently in detention, charged with treason for rallying his supporters under the slogan "No reform; no elections". The government saw this as an attempt by Lissu to launch a rebellion – and he risks being sentenced to death if 57-year-old opposition leader sees his detention as an attempt by the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party – which has been in power since independence in 1961– to clear its path to victory in presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October. This perception has been strengthened by the fact that his Chadema party has been barred from contesting the poll after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct that it believed would undermine its right to campaign freely. The opposition in Uganda sees itself in a similar situation, pointing out that President Yoweri Museveni has been in power for almost 40 years, and – along with his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who heads the army – is cracking down on political rivals in the build-up to elections in early 2026. Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye has been in detention since November, with the government wanting to try him for treason in a military court after accusing him of plotting to overthrow the government – a charge he denies. Although Kenya has an independent judiciary and holds regular elections that lead to power changing hands, Martha Karua – one of the country's most respected human rights lawyers, a former justice minister and the leader of a small opposition party – believes that democracy is under threat in all three East African states."We are staring at a regional crisis – not at an economic crisis, not a crisis of trade, but of democracy itself," she said at a recent press conference. Activists like her are alarmed by the fact that more than 80 Kenyans have been abducted in the past year by people who never identified themselves, raising fears that this was the government's latest strategy to crush dissent after the protests over moves to increase taxes amidst a cost-of-living is also mounting evidence that Kenya is no longer a safe haven for Ugandans and Tanzanians, with security agencies from the three states apparently colluding to crack down on the was in Nairobi for a book launch in November, when he vanished - only to surface four days later in a military court in government in Uganda accused him of trying to negotiate an arms deal in Kenya to launch a rebellion back home and said he had been arrested in a cross-border operation carried out with the knowledge of Kenya's intelligence services. Kenya's government initially denied this, saying it was unaware of the Ugandan operation on its soil, although Kenya's foreign minister recently told local media that "there were certain issues" about Besigye's visit in Kenya and "he had to go". He did not elaborate. About two months after Besigye's ordeal, exiled Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai said she was abducted by armed men in Nairobi who then, luckily for her, released her several hours Tsehai said she was manhandled and choked by four assailants who forced her into a vehicle."I am sure that the reason for the abduction was to get access to my social media and [because of] the whistleblowing job that I do," she said, as her abductors kept asking how to unlock her Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and has accused her government of bringing "tyranny back" to the country, despite promising reforms when she took office in 2021 following the death of her authoritarian predecessor, John said that despite the "backsliding" of democracy and human rights in East Africa, there was little concern about this internationally, with the African Union "silent", the United Nations offering "rhetoric - not redress", while the US - "a self-declared champion of liberty" - was facing its "own issues of liberty" under the administration of President Donald Trump. Tanzania deported Karua and two Kenyan activists when they flew into the country in May to show solidarity with Lissu, while Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire were detained after being allowed to enter. Following their release, both accused the Tanzanian police of sexually abusing them. Tanzania's police denied the accusation, however amidst the outcry over the detention and deportation of foreign activists, President Samia issued a stark warning."If they have been contained in their country, let them not come here to meddle. Let's not give them a chance. They have already created chaos in their own country," she the dismay of activists, Kenya's President Ruto failed to condemn the alleged abuse and instead, apologised to the Tanzanian government."To our neighbours from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us," he said."If there is anything that Kenyans have done that is not right, we want to apologise."Macharia Munene, a Kenyan professor in international relations, told the BBC that Ruto's apology stemmed from his "perceived failure to keep people [Kenyans] in check". He added that the Tanzanian government had become "jittery" of the potential influence of Kenyan activists on the October elections, with Ruto's government under pressure to "contain troublemakers". For Kenyan activists the worsening repression in the three states has merely strengthened their resolve to fight Mwangi, one of Kenya's most prominent human rights campaigners, summed it up by saying: "If these people are united in oppressing their citizens, then we must be united in fighting to remove them from power." You may also be interested in: 'We live in fear' - forced expulsions taint Kenya's safe haven imageBBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersCould this be the end of the road for Tanzania's great survivor, Tundu Lissu?Why Kenya's president has so many nicknamesUganda's Yoweri Museveni: How an ex-rebel has stayed in power for 35 year Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Judge blocks Georgia's social media age verification law, citing free speech concerns
Georgia has become the latest state where a federal judge has blocked a law requiring age verification for social media accounts. Like in seven other states where such laws have been blocked, a federal judge ruled Thursday that the Georgia law infringes on free speech rights. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg means that the Georgia measure, which passed in 2024, won't take effect next week as scheduled. Instead, Totenberg granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law until there's a full ruling on the issue. Georgia's law would require some social media providers to take 'commercially reasonable' steps to verify a user's age and require children younger than 16 to get parental permission for accounts. It was challenged by NetChoice, a trade group representing online businesses. 'The state seeks to erect barriers to speech that cannot withstand the rigorous scrutiny that the Constitution requires,' Totenberg wrote, finding the law restricts the rights of minors, chills the right to anonymous speech online and restricts the ability of people to receive speech from social media platforms. Georgia will appeal, a spokesperson for Attorney General Chris Carr said Thursday. 'We will continue to defend commonsense measures that empower parents and protect our children online,' spokesperson Kara Murray said in a statement. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Totenberg said concerns about social media harming children are legitimate, but don't outweigh the constitutional violation. Totenberg wrote that NetChoice's members would be irreparably harmed by the law. She rejected arguments from the state that the group shouldn't get temporary relief because it had delayed filing its lawsuit by a year and because the state would be required to give 90 days' notice before enforcing the law. 'Free expression doesn't end where government anxiety begins," NetChoice Director of Litigation Chris Marchese said in a statement. "Parents— not politicians — should guide their children's lives online and offline— and no one should have to hand over a government ID to speak in digital spaces.' It's the ninth state where NetChoice has blocked a law over children's use of social media. In Arkansas and Ohio, federal judges have permanently overturned the laws. Besides Georgia, measures are also on hold in California, Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Utah. Louisiana agreed to not enforce its law while litigation proceeds. Only in Tennessee did a federal judge decline to temporarily block a law, finding NetChoice hadn't proved that people would be irreparably harmed if the law wasn't blocked before trial. Georgia had argued the law was meant to protect children in a dangerous place, likening it to banning them from bars serving alcohol instead of restricting their speech.
