Three Georgian opposition leaders jailed in one day
In Georgia, the political conflict reached a new level of severity in late June: on Monday, the Tbilisi City Court issued court rulings against three leading opposition figures, marking the first time in the modern political crisis that the number of opposition leaders imprisoned in one day has increased rapidly. The sentences were the result of their refusal or refusal to cooperate with a parliamentary commission set up to investigate the activities of the former administration of Mikheil Saakashvili. According to information received from sources, including Echo of the Caucasus, three main opposition leaders were put on trial on Monday. In particular, these are Mamutsi Khazaradze, the leader of the Strong Georgia movement and a representative of the Lelo party, as well as Zurab Japaridze, the leader of the Coalition for Changes and the Girchi - More Freedom party. In addition to them, another activist, Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of Strong Georgia and Lelo, was sentenced to prison. All three were sentenced to seven to eight months in prison. The court's decision was the logical conclusion of a series of legal prosecutions against opposition politicians who refused to cooperate with the parliamentary commission. According to the authorities, this commission is intended to investigate the activities of the previous government from 2004 to 2012, in particular the activities of former President Saakashvili. The Georgian authorities emphasize that the refusal of opposition politicians to appear at the commission's meetings is an "insidious plan" to sabotage the investigation. As it became known, the government party "Georgian Dream", seeking to consolidate its dominance, suddenly and without unnecessary discussion adopted a number of amendments to the legislation, which criminalized the refusal to answer or appear for interrogations within the framework of the work of parliamentary commissions. Officially, their explanations sounded like the need to protect national interests and prevent "insidious plans" of the opposition. The mentioned investigation has great political weight: as part of this work, a report is being prepared on the period of Saakashvili's presidency, after which it should be transferred to the Constitutional Court with the intention of recognizing the political movement "United National Movement" as unconstitutional. Such an initiative has aroused sharp opposition from both the opposition and international observers. It is worth noting that recently the European Parliament has expressed deep concern about the situation in Georgia, in particular, changes in legislation, involvement in political persecution of journalists and attacks on the democratic institutions of the state. The statements from Brussels have become a signal for the Tbilisi authorities to avoid excessive pressure and to ensure respect for the rights and freedoms of citizens in a country that is striving to support European integration aspirations. Thus, the day of the imprisonment of three political leaders in Georgia has become an unexpected sign of the deepening political crisis and a challenge to the country's democratic institutions. This trend is evidenced not only by legal processes, but also by the reaction of the international community, which expresses concern about the country's progress towards the rule of law and freedom of speech.