Salome Zurabishvili: GD Launched New Wave of Repression Against Politicians

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said the ruling party has launched a new wave of political repression. She stressed that a parliamentary investigative commission, officially tasked with probing into alleged UNM crimes, was created not to uncover the truth but to target and punish opposition politicians.

At a briefing on May 15, she said: “A new wave [of repression] has begun and continues, which concerns politicians,” adding that a “temporary investigative commission was created for this purpose.”

She further noted: “No one should believe that this commission was created so that some truth, which has not been established for 12 or more years, can now be established.” The commission was created to summon politicians, she said, and fine and arrest those who would not come.

Salome Zurabishvili also said the position of the opposition politicians is understandable, as the “parliament and therefore the commission are illegitimate.”

Her comments came one day after a Tbilisi court ordered the pre-trial detention of former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, a key figure in the former United National Movement (UNM) government.

He was summoned to appear before the commission, chaired by Georgian Dream MP Tea Tsulukiani, on March 26 but refused to attend. He later answered investigators’ questions before a magistrate judge at the Tbilisi City Court. He was granted bail of GEL 20,000 (around ($7,400) and was prohibited from leaving the country. The court granted the prosecution’s request for his detention on May 14 after he failed to meet those conditions.

Similar charges and bail have been imposed on several other opposition figures, including 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. Gakharia appeared on April 14, becoming the sole opposition figure to cooperate with the inquiry. His party, which crossed the 5% threshold in the 2024 parliamentary elections, has not formally resigned its seats but also does not recognize the current one-party legislature. Gakharia’s decision to appear is expected to further strain his relationship with other opposition groups, many of whom remain distrustful of the former GD insider.

Also Read:

• 02/04/2025 – Opposition Politician Mamuka Khazaradze Ordered to Pay GEL 50,000 Bail
• 26/03/2025 – Prosecutor Probes Mamuka Khazaradze’s Refusal to Appear Before GD Parliament’s UNM Investigation Commission
• 14/02/2025 – Tea Tsulukiani to Chair Parliamentary Commission Investigating UNM Government
• 07/02/2025 – GD Parliament Staffs Commission to Investigate UNM, Threatens Criminal Liability for Refusal to Cooperate

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