The Daily Beat: 27 May
On May 26, Georgia celebrated Independence Day, marking the declaration of independence by the First Republic of Georgia in 1918. The day was first celebrated in 1991, following the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. This year’s celebration occurred amid international isolation of the Georgian Dream government, concerns over authoritarian rule, and ongoing pro-European and anti-regime protests.
During the Independence Day ceremony, the GD-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili addressed the public. The GD Prime Minister, Speaker, and Defense Minister also delivered speeches, emphasizing the ongoing struggle for the country’s independence and the importance of traditional family values. GD officials highlighted that “Georgia has never been as independent as it is today.” Read more about the Independence Day messages of the GD officials in our story.
On the evening of May 26th, President Salome Zurabishvili addressed the protesters gathered near the parliament building. She stated that Georgia is facing a situation where “prisoners are unjustly imprisoned,” “injustice reigns in the country,” and “our statehood is being destroyed day by day.” In her speech, she also highlighted the case of Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder of the media outlets Netgazeti/Batumlebi, who has been detained and faces 4 to 7 years in prison.
In celebration of Georgia’s Independence Day, foreign leaders, diplomats, and officials shared congratulatory messages and well-wishes to the country. Most of these messages were directed towards the Georgian people rather than the GD government officials. Civil.ge has compiled the congratulations of international partners on Independence Day.
Giorgi Bachiashvili, a former aide to Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, was arrested on May 27, according to the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG). The security service claims that an anonymous tip received on May 26 reported that Bachiashvili, a convicted dual citizen of Georgia and Russia, was near the “green border” between Armenia and Azerbaijan. His legal team stated he was “forcibly returned” to Georgia, where he faces an immediate risk of torture.
The Georgian Dream-led Parliament has extended the mandate of its investigative commission, looking into the alleged crimes by the UNM, pushing its term through July 5, according to a resolution adopted on May 27. The temporary investigative commission was created in the GD parliament on February 5 to probe alleged crimes under the UNM government. On April 14, the commission’s mandate was extended to cover not only 2003-2012 but also the period from 2003 to the present day.
The United States Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released the 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment, which also mentions Georgia. The report states, “In Georgia, Russia almost certainly aims to return Georgia to its sphere of influence. Since the parliamentary elections in October, the Georgian Dream-led government has created an environment that enables Russia to increase its influence in the country.” In response, the GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze dismissed this claim as “nonsense.”
Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged the Georgian authorities to investigate police abuse effectively, reduce the Special Investigation Service’s dependency on the Prosecutor’s Office, and revise recent legislative changes. In two communications to the Committee of Ministers, he addressed two cases: Tsintsabadze v. Georgia and Makarashvili and Others v. Georgia, and concluded that Georgia faces the persistent problem of the arbitrary use of administrative detention.