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OC Media
a day ago
- Politics
- OC Media
Georgian opposition party Droa says its accounts have been frozen
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member According to the Georgian opposition party Droa, the National Bureau of Enforcement has frozen the bank accounts of both the party and its leader, Elene Khoshtaria. According to Droa's lawyer, the freeze on the party's accounts is related to an allegedly unpaid court fee dating back to 2021. The information about the freeze was first shared by Khoshtaria on social media on Tuesday. The party told OC Media that both Droa and Khoshtaria herself learned about the punitive measure via SMS notifications. Later, the party's lawyer, Ketevan Barbakadze, clarified that the action was based on the claim that the party failed to pay a ₾50 ($18) court fee during an appeal of the 2021 local municipal election results. According to Barbakadze, Droa had requested a recount of the election results in all ten electoral districts of Tbilisi at the time, none of which were granted by the court. She denied that the party had failed to pay the required court fees. 'We had paid the fees […] A complaint won't even be registered unless the fee is paid. I have no legal explanation for what they've come up with, how they calculated the amount, or what exactly they're demanding. It's absurd', she added. Barbakadze said that she has not yet received the court's official decision and is not fully informed of all the case details. However, according to verbal information from the Enforcement Bureau, the asset freeze related specifically to the appeal of the election results in the Nadzaladevi district. She also received information that proceedings had been initiated regarding the fees for the remaining nine districts as well, leaving the party uncertain about the total amount ultimately being sought by the court. Advertisement Barbakadze also noted that the asset freeze was imposed without any prior notice to the party. 'Even if we assume there is something we actually owe, the court should have first notified the party […] and only then referred the case to the Enforcement Bureau. They skipped the voluntary enforcement stage entirely and directly froze the party's accounts', she added. According to Barbakadze, the freeze on Khoshtaria's personal accounts is a separate issue and likely related to one of the recent unpaid fines issued against her. In just over a month, the politician has been fined three times — including a ₾4,000 ($1,500) fine on 19 June for 'insulting' Georgian Dream's parliamentary leader Mamuka Mdinaradze in a social media post. 'You'll never see a single fine paid by me, nor will I appear for any interrogation or court hearing', Khoshtaria wrote in Tuesday's social media post. She added that the party's donations are 'in a safe place' and were not affected by the freeze. However, Droa's lawyer emphasised that the party needs access to its account in order to function properly. OC Media reached out to the press service of Tbilisi City Court for comment, but has not received a response as of publication.
OC Media
01-07-2025
- Politics
- OC Media
Georgian opposition politician Khoshtaria ends hunger strike
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Editor's note: This article has been updated to include information that, along with Khoshtaria, other individuals also ended their hunger strike. Elene Khoshtaria, the leader of the opposition Droa party, ended her hunger strike after eight Georgian opposition parties made a joint statement announcing their boycott of the 2025 Georgian local elections. Representatives of various political groups gathered to read the statement on Monday evening, standing in front of the parliament building where Khoshtaria began her protest action three days before. The parties stated that given the current reality in Georgia, their participation in the local elections would not serve the people's interests but would only lend legitimacy to the 'illegal Russian regime', referring to the Georgian Dream government. 'We, Georgia's pro-Western political parties and groups, whose goal is the complete dismantling of [Bidzina] Ivanishvili's Russian regime [...] recognise the necessity of joint action', they said, adding that 'the path to victory goes through complete non-cooperation with the regime'. The text was signed by eight political groups, including Ahali, Girchi — More Freedom and Droa, which are members of the opposition Coalition For Change, and United National Movement (UNM), Strategy Aghmashenebeli, and European Georgia from the Unity — National Movement coalition. The Federalists and Freedom Square also joined the statement. 'In this spirit and with this approach, I am very glad to end my hunger strike so that we can all together move into a very active phase of the struggle', Khoshtaria said. Advertisement Alongside Khoshtaria, all those who had joined the hunger strike in solidarity with her also ended their protest. After the beginning of the strike, Khoshtaria explained that her action was a statement that the struggle against Georgian Dream must continue with 'great determination', including through a full boycott of the upcoming local elections by the opposition, the creation of a political alternative, and intensifying the protests. 'At this stage, I consider it crucial for political parties to have clarity on their strategy of struggle, because as long as Georgian Dream is on the offensive, our ambiguity fuels nihilism', she stated in a Facebook post on Sunday. In one interview, the politician said she was ready to end her hunger strike if the opposition agreed to boycott the local elections — an issue that has been a subject of discussion and debate among Georgian opposition parties four months ahead of the vote. Many of the political groups that made Monday evening's statement had already announced their decision to boycott the elections, stating that they do not recognise the legitimacy of Georgian Dream's government following last October's disputed parliamentary elections. The For Georgia party, founded by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, was not among the signatories. The Lelo party also did not sign the statement. In their previous statements, they have not ruled out participating in the elections. Lelo leader Mamuka Khazaradze has stated before that an opposition boycott would serve the government's interests by allowing it to further consolidate its power. For his part, Gakharia said in April his party is preparing both for the local elections and for new parliamentary elections, which the opposition has been demanding, so far unsuccessfully. When asked what his party would do if a repeat parliamentary vote was not called, he replied, 'If it isn't called, then we'll decide whether to participate or not'. Khoshtaria's hunger strike happened amid the arrests of numerous opposition leaders for failing to appear before a parliamentary commission created to investigate the opposition. Virtually all political leaders from the opposition Coalition for Change, except Khoshtaria, have been jailed on similar accusations. Zurab Japaridze of Girchi — More freedom as well as Ahali leader Nika Melia have already been sentenced to seven and eight months respectively, while Nika Gvaramia, another leader of Ahali, was sentenced a night after Khoshtaria's decision to end the strike. Other opposition groups were also affected by the wave of arrests. Lelo chairs Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze were jailed for eight months each, while Strategy Aghmashenebeli's Giorgi Vashadze was sentenced to seven months.
Civil.ge
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Khoshtaria Ends Hunger Strike as Eight Parties Pledge to Boycott Local Election
Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Droa party, said she was ending her hunger strike as she was joined by representatives of seven other opposition parties pledging to boycott the October 4 local elections, an issue that has recently divided the Georgian opposition. However, Lelo and Gakharia's For Georgia, the two major parties that have leaned towards participation, were absent from the unity. 'We refuse to participate in the so-called local elections because we believe that, under the current conditions, taking part in this process will not serve the interests of our citizens and will only provide a facade for the illegal Russian regime,' Khoshtaria read out from the joint statement in the evening of June 30 on Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue. The boycotting parties include Freedom Square, European Georgia, United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Ahali, Girchi–More Freedom, Droa, and the Federalists. The statement suggested 'complete non-cooperation with the regime' as a path to victory. 'With this spirit and attitude, I'm glad to announce the end of my hunger strike […] for all of us to move to a very active phase of struggle,' Khoshtaria said. The statement comes three days after Droa's leader announced a hunger strike as a 'new form of struggle,' citing jailings of opposition leaders and tragic reports of detained protesters losing family members while in custody. She said in her June 29 statement that she was awaiting the positions of those parties that had yet to announce whether they would participate in the local elections, noting that clarity from political parties about their strategy for the struggle was 'crucial at this point.' However, with the positions of Lelo/Strong Georgia and Gakharia-For Georgia still unannounced, the clarity is yet to be achieved. It remains to be seen whether the pledge by eight parties will influence their decision: while Lelo has insisted on participation, the party has repeatedly implied it was seeking unity over the matter. The issue of participation in the municipal vote remains contentious. Some in the opposition have viewed participation as a betrayal of the ongoing resistance, while others have framed it as an opportunity to challenge Georgian Dream, particularly in major cities, where the ruling party's influence is weaker than in the regions. The debate continues as six opposition leaders are in jail over their boycott of the Georgian Dream parliamentary commission, with five already sentenced to months in prison. Five people, including former MP Gedevan Popkhadze and four activists, had joined Khoshtaria in her hunger strike. All of them ended the hunger strike following the announcement, Nanuka Zhorzholiani, an activist and TV personality, reported late on June 30. Also Read:
Civil.ge
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Elene Khoshtaria Goes On Hunger Strike as 'New Form of Struggle'
Opposition Droa party leader Elene Khoshtaria announced a hunger strike, saying it is a 'new form of struggle.' 'Now that the regime has launched a new attack and arrested practically all of the opposition, I want to declare a new form of struggle — one that is not emotional or thoughtless, but victory-oriented,' Khoshtaria told reporters as she was announcing her 'firm decision' in the evening of June 27 in front of the parliament building on Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue, the epicenter of ongoing non-stop anti-Georgian Dream protests. She vowed not to leave Rustaveli Avenue, citing tragic reports of detained protesters losing family members while in custody. At least three inmates have lost parents since their arrest over protests that erupted after Georgian Dream's late-November announcement to halt EU accession. The most recent case is the death of the father of Onise Tskhadadze, a well-known comedian currently on trial for group violence. 'If you can't see the value of life, the value of freedom […] here's my life, here's my freedom too — and you still can't beat us,' Khoshtaria said, addressing the ruling Georgian Dream party. She went on to say in her 'statement to people' that the 'only way' is 'revolution and their overthrow from the street.' 'I can't tell anyone when to take to the streets, go on hunger strike, go to prison, or come out,' Khoshtaria said. 'I can only say this with my example: I am ready to sacrifice myself against the regime — and I will.' Six people, including five active opposition leaders, have been sentenced to several months in prison in recent days for refusing to appear before the Tsulukiani Commission in the Georgian Dream parliament, which they consider illegitimate. Two more are awaiting final rulings while in pre-trial custody. All three other leaders of the Coalition for Change, an election alliance formed ahead of the 2024 parliamentary vote, which includes Khoshtaria's Droa, are currently jailed: Zurab Japaridze from Girchi – More Freedom has been sentenced to seven months, Ahali's Nika Melia to eight months, while Nika Gvaramia, Ahali's other leader, currently remains in pretrial detention anticipating a similar sentence. Also Read:
