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Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Georgian opposition figure Giorgi Vashadze jailed in widening crackdown
A Georgian court has sentenced an opposition leader to seven months in prison, as a crackdown by the governing party on its rivals continues. The Tbilisi court imposed the sentence on Giorgi Vashadze, a leader of the Strategy Builder party, on Tuesday for failing to cooperate with a commission investigating abuse of power by a former government. The jailing means that nearly all of the country's major pro-European opposition figures have now been imprisoned. The crackdown has increased accusations against the ruling Georgian Dream party that it is trampling on democracy amid ongoing protests in the wake of last year's disputed elections. Vashadze, deputy minister of justice from 2010 to 2012, was found guilty of refusing to cooperate with a government commission investigating alleged abuse during its time in power under former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Opposition figures say the commission is a ruse used by the government to stifle opponents. Saakashvili is currently serving a 12-and-a-half-year sentence on charges that rights groups say are politically motivated. Vashadze, whose party belongs to a coalition that came third in last year's election, was also handed a two-year ban on holding public office. Three other opposition figures have been jailed on the same charge. 'The Georgian Dream regime has imprisoned the whole of Georgia. We are fighting for the country's liberation,' Vashadze said before the verdict, the AFP news agency reported. Turmoil Georgia has been racked by political turmoil since Georgian Dream secured a further term in power in October's parliamentary election. The opposition continues to dispute the results, claiming vote fraud and Russian interference. Mass protests broke out, gathering steam when the government announced in November it was suspending talks on joining the European Union in response to a European Parliament resolution rejecting the results of the elections, citing 'significant irregularities'. The protests have continued nightly for more than 200 days, although they have shrunk in size in recent months. Prominent poet arrested At a protest outside parliament in Tbilisi on Monday night, Georgia's most celebrated poet, Zviad Ratiani, was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, news agencies reported. He faces up to seven years in prison. Ratiani has been a high-profile figure in the protest movement and was arrested at a protest last year, spending a week in prison despite having serious injuries from assaults in custody, AFP reported.
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Georgia sends another opposition politician to prison
Georgian opposition politician Giorgi Vashadze was sentenced to seven months in prison on Tuesday, the latest verdict in a crackdown that has placed nearly all of Georgia's major opposition figures behind bars. Authorities have clamped down on leading figures of the pro-European Union opposition after weathering major protests last year over a disputed October election and a subsequent government decision to halt talks on joining the EU. Vashadze, a 43-year-old career politician, was found guilty of refusing to testify to a parliamentary commission investigating alleged wrongdoing under jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who led the South Caucasus country from 2004 to 2012. On Tuesday, three other Georgian opposition figures were jailed on the same charge. Vashadze, like the others, was also barred from holding public office for two years. Vashadze is a leader of Strategy Builder, a party that is part of a wider opposition coalition that came third in last year's election. The Georgian Dream party, which won a fourth term in power, has rejected allegations of vote-rigging. "We are fighting for the liberation of Georgia," Vashadze was quoted as saying by the Interpress news agency ahead of the court's verdict. "The main thing is to be united; the imprisonment of me and those people is nothing," he said, referring to the other jailed politicians. Traditionally one of the most pro-Western countries to emerge from the Soviet Union, Georgia has taken a sharply authoritarian turn in recent years, critics say, pivoting away from the West and back towards Russia. Separately, Georgian poet Zviad Ratiani, a prominent figure at street protests, was arrested in Tbilisi on Monday night on charges of assaulting a police officer, Interpress reported. The demonstrations have continued nightly for over 200 days but the number of protesters has diminished considerably in recent months. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Georgia sends another opposition politician to prison
June 24 (Reuters) - Georgian opposition politician Giorgi Vashadze was sentenced to seven months in prison on Tuesday, the latest verdict in a crackdown that has placed nearly all of Georgia's major opposition figures behind bars. Authorities have clamped down on leading figures of the pro-European Union opposition after weathering major protests last year over a disputed October election and a subsequent government decision to halt talks on joining the EU. Vashadze, a 43-year-old career politician, was found guilty of refusing to testify to a parliamentary commission investigating alleged wrongdoing under jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who led the South Caucasus country from 2004 to 2012. On Tuesday, three other Georgian opposition figures were jailed on the same charge. Vashadze, like the others, was also barred from holding public office for two years. Vashadze is a leader of Strategy Builder, a party that is part of a wider opposition coalition that came third in last year's election. The Georgian Dream party, which won a fourth term in power, has rejected allegations of vote-rigging. "We are fighting for the liberation of Georgia," Vashadze was quoted as saying by the Interpress news agency ahead of the court's verdict. "The main thing is to be united; the imprisonment of me and those people is nothing," he said, referring to the other jailed politicians. Traditionally one of the most pro-Western countries to emerge from the Soviet Union, Georgia has taken a sharply authoritarian turn in recent years, critics say, pivoting away from the West and back towards Russia. Separately, Georgian poet Zviad Ratiani, a prominent figure at street protests, was arrested in Tbilisi on Monday night on charges of assaulting a police officer, Interpress reported. The demonstrations have continued nightly for over 200 days but the number of protesters has diminished considerably in recent months.
