Georgia Jails Six Opposition Leaders in Sweeping Crackdown

Georgian opposition leader Nika Melia has become the latest figure jailed in what observers call an unprecedented assault on democracy. Six prominent opposition politicians have been sentenced this week, while two more remain in pre-trial detention, leaving much of Georgia’s pro-Western opposition leadership behind bars.Tensions have escalated since the government suspended Georgia’s EU accession bid following disputed elections. Nika Melia, a leader of the Coalition for Change, was sentenced to eight months in prison on Friday. Former MP Givi Targamadze received a seven-month term.All jailed politicians were convicted of refusing to testify before a parliamentary commission and barred from holding public office for two years. Critics say the commission is politically motivated. Transparency International described the crackdown as “the most severe democratic collapse in Georgia’s post-Soviet history,” accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of launching “a full-scale authoritarian offensive.”Additional jail sentences were handed to opposition figures Giorgi Vashadze, Zurab Japaridze, and former bank executives Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze. Prominent opposition leader Nika Gvaramia and a former defence minister remain in detention.Pro-European protesters have demonstrated nightly in Tbilisi for over 200 consecutive days, demanding new elections and the release of prisoners arrested during pro-EU rallies. Human rights groups report 500 arrests during recent protests, with 300 detainees subjected to torture. Around 60 people are considered political prisoners.Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the crackdown, telling parliament the commission was exposing crimes of Georgia’s previous government. “Everyone must understand once and for all that there is no place for criminals in Georgian politics,” he said.Norway condemned the arrests as an “unprecedented attack on Georgia’s democracy” and urged the government to end “repressive actions.”Meanwhile, acclaimed journalist Mzia Amaglobeli remains jailed since January, and independent media outlets face censorship and financial ruin. Civil society groups accuse billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian Dream’s founder, of maintaining power through dictatorship. Although Ivanishvili formally retired from politics, he is believed to control all branches of government. He is also under US sanctions.In a related case, former Ivanishvili confidant Giorgi Bachiashvili claims he was abducted abroad and returned to Georgia as a political prisoner. Georgian authorities say he was convicted of misappropriating millions while abroad and will serve his sentence.