**Georgian Opposition Leader Detained, International Community Condemns**
Nika Melia, a prominent opposition leader in Georgia, was detained on May 29 by the Interior Ministry. According to authorities, Melia was held for insulting police officers, an administrative offense. However, the opposition and many international observers see this as a move to silence Melia ahead of a court hearing scheduled for today.
**Background**
Melia is the co-chair of the Ahali party and a leader of the Coalition for Change. He had previously vowed not to attend the court hearing, which relates to his refusal to testify before a parliamentary commission probing alleged crimes by former government officials. Instead, he plans to detail his detention in court today.
**International Reactions**
The international community has strongly condemned Melia’s detention, with many accusing Georgia’s ruling party of using repressive tactics to silence the opposition. U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson said that the move is part of a broader effort by the Georgian Dream regime to banish all opposition and sell the country to China.
Lithuanian MEP Rasa Juknevičienė stated that the situation in Georgia is deteriorating, and the EU must take action. Estonian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Marko Mihkelson called for harsher sanctions against the Georgian regime if democracies aim to resist Russian expansionism.
**Domestic Reactions**
The opposition parties in Georgia have strongly condemned Melia’s detention as an “abduction”. The Resistance Platform and Strong Georgia coalition, both leading opposition groups, have expressed solidarity with Melia and his team.
UNM Chair Tina Bokuchava described the detention as a confirmation of the violent methods used by the ruling party to silence opponents. She praised Melia for making a principled decision not to pay bail imposed by the treason commission.
**A Pattern of Repression**
This incident is just the latest in a series of repressive measures taken by Georgia’s ruling party against opposition leaders and activists. Last week, another prominent opposition leader, Zurab Japaridze, was imprisoned under similar circumstances.
The international community must take note of this pattern of repression and act swiftly to support Georgian democracy. As Dan Barna, Vice-President of the ALDE Party said, “We condemn these actions by the Georgian government, which undermine democratic values and Georgian people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”
**What’s Next?**
Melia faces possible pretrial detention in today’s court hearing. The international community must continue to monitor this situation closely and take concrete steps to support Melia and other opposition leaders.
As the crisis deepens, it is clear that Georgia needs a genuine move towards democracy, rather than repression of its citizens. The world must stand with the brave Georgian people resisting this slide away from democracy and against rising Russian influence.
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