Opposition Says Authorities Continue ‘Repressions’
A group of opposition parties called on the foreign diplomats in Georgia to react on the authorities’ “continued political repressions” against the opposition activists and their family members.
“Despite its pledge and commitment undertaken before its people and the international community, the Georgian authorities still hold dozens of political prisoners. The authorities continue political repressions against the opposition parties’ representatives,” eleven opposition parties and one opposition public movement said in a joint statement on August 27.
The statement is joined by Conservative Party (leaders – Kakha Kukava and Zviad Dzidziguri); Democratic Movement–United Georgia (led by Nino Burjanadze); Georgia’s Way (led by Salome Zourabichvili); Party of People (led by Koba Davitashvili); Party of Women for Justice and Equality (Guguli Magradze); Traditionalists (Akaki Asatiani) and Alliance for Georgia, involving three parties – New Rights (led by Davit Gamkrelidze); Republican Party (led by Davit Usupashvili) and Our Georgia-Free Democratic (led by Irakli Alasania). The statement was also joined by opposition politician Levan Gachechiladze’s public movement Defend Georgia.
At the August 12 meeting a group of opposition leaders handed to the Interior Minister lists of activists arrested for various, as the opposition says, “fabricated charges.” One of the lists, handed by the Alliance for Georgia, contained 48 activists, including from other opposition parties. Since then, according to figures from Our Georgia-Free Democrats party, led by Irakli Alasania (part of Alliance for Georgia), they have been in contact with the Interior Ministry officials and a tentative agreement was reached on release of ten activists.
Only three opposition activists, however, are released so far – two from the Republican Party and one from the New Rights Party (both part of Alliance for Georgia), according to the opposition politicians. They were released on bail after a court settlement, which means that charges are not yet dropped from those three activists.
The opposition parties’ joint statement reads that the campaign of “repressions” also involves arresting opposition politicians family members, “which are in fact held as hostages.” The statement brings an example of one of the leaders of the Movement for United Georgia party, Eka Beselia, whose son Rati Milorava and brother Sergo Beselia were arrested and charged with hooliganism and resisting police orders on August 19. Court released Milorava on bail and remanded Sergo Beselia in two-month pre-trial detention. This is the second case when Rati Milorava was implicated in hooliganism.
The opposition parties’ statement reads that case against Beselia’s family members was fabricated by investigators through “pressure and false testimonies of witnesses”.
