'He was kidnapped' — Georgian opposition leader detained as ruling party continues crackdown on dissent
Leader of the Georgian opposition party "Coalition for Change," Nika Melia, was detained by authorities on May 29, NewsGeorgia reported, citing Melia's associates.
Melia is being investigated for refusing to testify before a parliamentary committee probing former President Mikheil Saakashvili's time in power.
The opposition leader was arrested just before he was scheduled to appear on a television show, Melia's associates said.
"I do not know what his detention was connected with. In fact, he was kidnapped. They acted aggressively and without explanation," Melia's lawyer, Georgy Kondakhashvili, claimed.
The ruling "Georgian Dream" party has tightened its grip on power, passing a foreign agents law similar to Russia's. Mass protests erupted in Georgia in 2023 and 2024 in response to moves by authorities, which have isolated the country from the West.
Many opposition figures have not recognized Georgia's ruling party, following disputed parliamentary elections in December 2024.
Melia's commission hearing was postponed from May 29 to May 30, he has refused to attend the proceeding thus far.
Kondakhashvili claims there are no legal grounds for Melia's arrest and says the charges were likely fabricated to forcibly bring the opposition leader to the hearing he has boycotted.
Melia does not view the parliament and commission led by the "Georgian Dream" party as legitimate, and in late April, refused to pay a bail of 50,000 lari ($18,200), NewsGeorgia reported.
Georgia's accession to the EU has been suspended due to the actions of the ruling authorities since the spring of 2024, the European Commission said in October.
Georgia applied for EU candidate status in March 2022, following Ukraine, which applied in February 2022.
Read also: 'No one has seen it yet' — Zelensky slams Russia for stalling on ceasefire memorandum ahead of Istanbul talks
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