**Georgian President Accuses Ruling Party of Launching New Wave of Political Repression**
In a recent press briefing, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili warned that the ruling party has initiated a new wave of political repression. According to her, this crackdown is aimed at targeting and punishing opposition politicians.
The president stressed that a parliamentary investigative commission, which was established to probe alleged crimes committed during the tenure of the United National Movement (UNM), was not created to uncover the truth but rather to persecute opposition figures. This commission has been empowered to investigate activities spanning from 2003 to the present day, effectively making it a tool for the ruling party to silence its opponents.
**Investigative Commission: A Tool for Repression**
The temporary investigative commission was set up in February to probe alleged crimes committed under the UNM government. In April, its mandate was expanded to cover not only the period of 2003-2012 but also the time since then. This move is part of the ruling Georgian Dream’s (GD) strategy to ban what it calls the “collective UNM,” a term used to describe major opposition parties that won seats in the 2024 elections.
On May 13, the GD parliament passed a legislative package that further paves the way for banning these opposition parties. The president’s comments come as several opposition leaders have been summoned before this commission and subsequently arrested or fined for refusing to comply.
**Opposition Leaders Under Fire**
Among those targeted are Nika Melia, Nika Gvaramia, and Zurab Girchi Japaridze of the Coalition for Change; Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, leaders of the Strong Georgia coalition; and Unity–UNM members Givi Targamadze and Giorgi Vashadze. All have refused to pay bail or appear before the commission, citing their rejection of the legitimacy of both the Georgian parliament and its investigative body.
The only opposition leader to testify before the commission was Giorgi Gakharia, a former prime minister under Georgian Dream from 2019 to 2021 and now head of the For Georgia party. His decision to cooperate with the inquiry has been met with skepticism by other opposition groups, many of whom remain distrustful of his past affiliation with the ruling party.
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