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Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Second Georgian opposition leader placed in pre-trial detention as crackdown widens
Nika Melia, leader of Georgia's largest opposition party United National Movement (UNM), and his supporters gather in a tent outside the party's office after they announced a hunger strike to demand the immediate release of jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi, Georgia December 22, 2021. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/ File Photo Nika Melia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change opposition group, charged with failing to appear before the Georgian parliament's temporary investigative commission, splashes water towards a judge during a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/Pool Nika Melia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change opposition group, charged with failing to appear before the Georgian parliament's temporary investigative commission, attends a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/Pool/ File Photo Second Georgian opposition leader placed in pre-trial detention as crackdown widens TBILISI - A Georgian court on Friday placed Nika Melia, a leader of the country's main opposition party, in pre-trial detention, amid a widening crackdown against a pro-Western opposition that has staged months of anti-government protests. Melia, a top leader of the Coalition for Change opposition bloc, was detained on Thursday for refusing to appear at a parliamentary inquiry into alleged crimes committed under jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili between 2004 and 2012. The length of the detention was not immediately clear. Last week, a judge placed another leader of the Coalition for Change, Zurab Japaridze, in pre-trial detention for refusing to appear before the inquiry. Friday's hearing was disorderly, with Melia sentenced after being removed from the courtroom for throwing water at the judge from the dock. Previously one of the most pro-Western and democratic of the Soviet Union's successor states, Georgia under the leadership of the Georgian Dream party is accused by the ruling bloc's critics of moving in an authoritarian and pro-Russian direction. Georgian Dream says it still wants the country to eventually join the European Union but wants to preserve what it calls Georgia's traditional values and also to avoid conflict with Russia, its giant neighbour and former imperial ruler. Separately on Friday, another judge jailed a 19-year-old student activist for 12 days for insulting a Georgian Dream lawmaker she had called a "Russian slave" in a cafe this month. Georgian Dream, after winning an election last November that the opposition says was rigged, said it would halt talks on joining the EU till 2028. EU membership has wide support among Georgians and the goal has been enshrined in the constitution. The ruling party's decision to suspend the talks sparked mass street protests, prompting a violent crackdown and large-scale arrests by security forces. Georgian Dream is dominated by billionaire ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is widely seen as Georgia's de facto leader. In December, the United States sanctioned Ivanishvili for what it said were actions aimed at dismantling Georgian democracy for the benefit of Russia. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Georgian police raid homes of activists providing financing to anti-government protesters
FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Georgia's opposition parties walk past a wall painted with the flag of the European Union (with a sign) and the Georgian flag during a protest against the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union in Tbilisi, Georgia December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Georgia's opposition parties hold a rally to protest against the result of a recent parliamentary election won by the ruling Georgian Dream party, in Tbilisi, Georgia November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo Georgian prosecutors said on Tuesday they had conducted searches at the apartments of five individuals who helped organise funding campaigns to support street protesters, amid a government crackdown on the rallies that have raged for months. Georgians have taken to the streets nightly since November to voice opposition to a government decision to halt accession talks to the European Union, a reversal of a longstanding national goal in the South Caucasus country of 3.7 million. The demonstrations have drawn a swift crackdown by police, resulting in hundreds of arrests and beatings, rights groups say. The government has defended the police response. In a statement on Tuesday, the prosecutor's office said the searches were part of an ongoing criminal investigation into sabotage, attempted sabotage, and the use of funds to violate the constitutional order, among other charges. Prosecutors launched a probe last month into funding campaigns organised by civil society groups that assisted detained protesters with legal help and money to cover fines. The prosecutors accused the groups of encouraging the protesters to commit illegal acts at street rallies. Authorities froze those groups' bank accounts as part of the investigation. The five individuals who were searched on Tuesday are all affiliated with the civil society groups. Several of them wrote on Facebook that officers had confiscated their cell phones and laptops during the searches. Four of the groups accused of helping the protesters did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters was not able to contact the fifth group, Foundation For Each Other 24/7. Traditionally among the more pro-Western and democratic of the Soviet Union's successor states, Georgia in recent years has tilted more towards Russia under the Georgian Dream (GD) party, in power since 2012. As part of a broader government clampdown on Georgia's pro-Western opposition, GD passed legislation this month banning foreign donor organisations from providing grants locally without government consent, with violators facing steep fines. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
