The Daily Beat: 22 July
On July 22, the Tbilisi City Court ruled to suspend President Salome Zurabishvili’s decree appointing Kakha Tsikarishvili as a member of the Board of the High Council of Justice (HCoJ). The Georgian President was also deprived of her constitutional right to hold a new competition and appoint a new member of the HCoJ.
The Georgian State Security Service has summoned several of Georgian fighters in Ukraine for questioning as part of a classified investigation. Among those summoned and/or questioned before the court are Konstantine Jghamaia, Beso Bendeliani, Nadim Khmaladze, Vazha Tsetsadze and Lasha Chigladze. They demanded to be interrogated before a magistrate judge. Since the investigation is classified, the summoned and their lawyers are not allowed to disclose the details publicly.
Russia is ready to help the Georgian Dream to retain power if Tbilisi asks Moscow to do so, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Andrei Klimov implied at a meeting of the Friends of Russia Club in Moscow, as reported by the Pirveli TV Channel website. Klimov also holds the position of the Chairman of the Interim Commission of the Federation Council on Protection of State Sovereignty and Prevention of Interference in the Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, but it seems that he is rather preoccupied with the alleged “interference in the internal affairs” not only of Russia, but also of countries neighboring it.
US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller at a briefing on July 22 said: “We’ve seen a number of Russian not just attempts, but we’ve seen outright Russian interference in elections all throughout the region and all throughout the world, and we are always vigilant watching those.” He added:”As you have heard us say on a number of occasions it is important that Georgian people and Georgian people alone decide the future of their country.”
The third separate lawsuit against the foreign agents law is to be submitted to the Constitutional Court as opposition MPs, except for [the parliamentary] Girchi party, are seeking to have the court declare the law unconstitutional. “Fighting is always worth it… In any case, we will repeal this law. A new government will throw it in the trash, but a person should always exercise the right provided by the Constitution,” said Roman Gotsiridze, the leader of the Euro-Optimists parliamentary group, one of the author of the opposition MP’s lawsuit.
On July 18, the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC-Georgia) presented the results of the Caucasus Barometer 2024 survey for Georgia. A total of 1509 respondents were interviewed during the period from April 16 to May 13, 2024. The survey has a maximum margin of error of up to 3%. The questions measured attitudes towards social values and norms as well as politics, power and democracy.
