Georgia jails another opposition figure in crackdown on dissent
The EU candidate nation has been gripped by political unrest since the disputed parliamentary elections last October, when the ruling Georgian Dream party declared victory, sparking mass protests.
Demonstrators accuse the ruling party, which shelved EU membership talks, of veering toward authoritarian rule and steering the country closer to Moscow — accusations the government rejects.
On Tuesday, a Tbilisi court sentenced Gvaramia — the co-leader of the key opposition Akhali party — to eight months in prison and barred him from holding public office for two years, his lawyer Dito Sadzaglishvili told AFP.
'The verdict is unlawful and part of the government's attempt to crush all dissent in Georgia,' he said.
Gvaramia was sentenced for refusing to cooperate with a parliamentary commission investigating alleged abuses under imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili.
Nearly all of Georgia's opposition leaders have been jailed this month on similar charges.
Saakashvili, a pro-Western reformer, is currently serving a 12-and-a-half-year prison term on charges widely denounced by rights groups as politically driven.
Opposition figures have rejected the commission's legitimacy, accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of using it as a tool to suppress dissent.
Amnesty International said last week that the 'disputed' commission 'has been instrumentalized to target former public officials for their principled opposition.'
Ahead of last year's elections, Georgian Dream announced plans to outlaw all major opposition parties.
Brussels has said Georgia's democratic backsliding derails it from its longstanding EU membership bid enshrined in the country's constitution and supported — according to opinion polls — by some 80 percent of the population.
The United States and several European countries have imposed sanctions on some Georgian Dream officials.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
16 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Iran executes two members of banned group for targeting infrastructure
Iran executed two members of the outlawed Mujahideen-e-Khalq opposition group for targeting civilian infrastructure with homemade projectiles, the judiciary news outlet Mizan reported on Sunday. Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani-Eslamloo, 'operational elements' of the MEK, were sentenced to death in a verdict upheld by the Supreme Court, Mizan said. 'The terrorists, in coordination with MEK leaders, had set up a team house in Tehran, where they built launchers and hand-held mortars in line with the group's goals, fired projectiles heedlessly at citizens, homes, service and administrative facilities, educational and charity centers, and also carried out propaganda and information-gathering activities in support of the MEK,' the report said. The defendants were indicted with 'moharebeh,' an Islamic term meaning waging war against God, destroying public property and 'membership in a terrorist organization with the aim of disrupting national security.' Semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Sunday that Ehsani-Eslamloo had been arrested in 2022 following an explosion at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology claimed by the MEK. The MEK, known in English as People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran, was a powerful group that staged bombing campaigns against the shah's government and US targets in the 1970s but ultimately fell out with the other factions of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since then, the MEK has opposed the Islamic Republic and its leadership in exile has been Paris-based. The group was listed as a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union until 2012.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Malaysians protest rising living costs
KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Malaysians took to the capital's streets on Saturday to protest rising living costs and a perceived lack of reform by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government. The rally organized by opposition parties marked the first major protest in Southeast Asia's sixth-largest economy since Anwar was propelled to power after general elections in 2022. Protesters gathered at various points around the city center before converging on the city's central Merdeka (Independence) Square, carrying placards saying 'Turun Anwar' – 'Step down Anwar' in Malay – while police kept a close eye. 'He (Anwar) has already governed the country for three years and has yet to fulfil the promises he made,' said protester Fauzi Mahmud, 35, from Selangor just outside the capital. Anwar 'has been to many countries to bring investments, but we have yet to see anything,' Fauzi told AFP, referring to the premier's recent trips, including to Russia and Europe. 'The cost of living is still high,' the engineer said. Anwar was appointed premier on a reformist ticket and promised to tackle graft, nepotism and cronyism within the Southeast Asian nation's fractured political system. Days ahead of the rally, the premier laid out a string of populist measures aimed to address concerns, including a cash handout for all adult citizens and a promise to cut fuel prices. Anwar on Wednesday announced that Malaysians above 18 years will receive a one-off payment of 100 Malaysian ringgit ($23.71), to be distributed from August 31. He added that about 18 million Malaysian motorists will be eligible to purchase heavily subsidized medium-octane fuel at 1.99 ringgit per liter, compared to the current price of 2.05 ringgit. Political analysts viewed the announcements as a strategic move to appease increasing public frustration and dissuade people from joining Saturday's protest. However, a recent survey done by Malaysia-based independent Merdeka Center for Opinion Research found that the majority of Malaysian voters gave Anwar a positive approval rating of 55 percent. Reasons included the easing of political turmoil in recent years as well as efforts to raise Malaysia's profile through this year's chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Malaysians protest rising living costs
Thousands of Malaysians took to the capital's streets on Saturday to protest rising living costs and a perceived lack of reform by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government. The rally organized by opposition parties marked the first major protest in Southeast Asia's sixth-largest economy since Anwar was propelled to power after general elections in 2022. Protesters gathered at various points around the city center before converging on the city's central Merdeka (Independence) Square, carrying placards saying 'Turun Anwar' – 'Step down Anwar' in Malay – while police kept a close eye. 'He (Anwar) has already governed the country for three years and has yet to fulfil the promises he made,' said protester Fauzi Mahmud, 35, from Selangor just outside the capital. Anwar 'has been to many countries to bring investments, but we have yet to see anything,' Fauzi told AFP, referring to the premier's recent trips, including to Russia and Europe. 'The cost of living is still high,' the engineer said. Anwar was appointed premier on a reformist ticket and promised to tackle graft, nepotism and cronyism within the Southeast Asian nation's fractured political system. Days ahead of the rally, the premier laid out a string of populist measures aimed to address concerns, including a cash handout for all adult citizens and a promise to cut fuel prices. Anwar on Wednesday announced that Malaysians above 18 years will receive a one-off payment of 100 Malaysian ringgit ($23.71), to be distributed from August 31. He added that about 18 million Malaysian motorists will be eligible to purchase heavily subsidized medium-octane fuel at 1.99 ringgit per liter, compared to the current price of 2.05 ringgit. Political analysts viewed the announcements as a strategic move to appease increasing public frustration and dissuade people from joining Saturday's protest. However, a recent survey done by Malaysia-based independent Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research found that the majority of Malaysian voters gave Anwar a positive approval rating of 55 percent. Reasons included the easing of political turmoil in recent years as well as efforts to raise Malaysia's profile through this year's chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
