
The Daily Beat: 23 January
Artists organized a performance rally near the Vaso Abashidze New Theatre in central Tbilisi to demand the release of individuals illegally detained during protests, including their colleague Andro Chichinadze. They are also calling for new elections to be held. According to film director David Doiashvili, the artists plan to travel to various regions of Georgia to inform citizens about the current situation in the country. For more updates on Georgian resistance, visit our live blog.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe’s Georgian service, Irakli Rukhadze, the owner of the government-affiliated Imedi TV, stated that he is unconcerned about sanctions. He emphasized that Imedi TV’s primary purpose is to prevent the United National Movement (UNM) from regaining power, even in a coalition. Rukhadze claimed that the EU and the US are obstructing the Georgian Dream (GD) government from investigating the alleged “four revolutions in two years.” He also remarked that there is a concerted effort to “destroy the Georgian economy” to facilitate a change in government.
On January 23, the Tbilisi City Court held the trial of Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s co-investment fund. During a court hearing, Bachiashvili alleged that Ivanishvili had sent a mediator to deliver a letter demanding monthly payments in cryptocurrency in exchange for the end of the criminal prosecution. The case against Bachiashvili involves charges of misappropriating a large amount of cryptocurrency and laundering illegal income, carrying a potential sentence of 9 to 12 years in prison.
Representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) have condemned what they describe as the “unjustified use of sanctions” in the form of excessive fines, describing them as a tool of repression. They argue that these measures are undemocratic and designed to stifle dissent, as no video or photographic evidence is provided to support the charges. CSOs also called on judges reviewing administrative cases not to participate in “this oligarchic punitive operation”.
On January 22, the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) adopted a statement in support of the people of Georgia with 59 votes in favor and nine against saying it does not recognize the results of the “fraudulent” elections in Georgia and “does not recognize the legitimacy of the Georgian parliament, government, or President.” The statement recognizes Salome Zurabishvili as the country’s legitimate President.
The British Ambassador, Gareth Ward, outlined the UK’s position on the unfolding political crisis in Georgia while speaking to the journalists at the Vodafone Group event on January 23. Although he declined to discuss future sanctions in advance, he stressed that current UK measures were aimed at supporting freedom of expression and other fundamental freedoms in Georgia. The Ambassador’s comment comes following an Early Day Motion (EDM) introduced by UK MP James MacCleary in Parliament, calling for sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili.
In a discussion at the American Enterprise Institute, President Salome Zurabishvili argued that the former U.S. administration’s “lack of engagement” with Georgia may have encouraged Russia to advance its interests in Georgia. “There was a lack of engagement, which maybe has encouraged Russia to be more proactive in the region and try to push this proxy regime to turn more and more pro-Russian,” Zurabishvili said.