Latest news with #SouthCaucasus
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Georgia jails six political figures in one week in crackdown on opposition
Georgian opposition leader Nika Melia has become the latest opposition figure to be sent to jail this week in a crackdown described by observers as an unprecedented attack on the country's South Caucausus state has seen months of political turmoil since the government halted its path to join the EU in the wake of disputed prominent politicians have been given jail terms, and another two are in pre-trial detention, so that most of the leaders of the pro-Western opposition are now behind Friday, Nika Melia, one of the leaders of Coalition for Change, was jailed for eight months by a court in Tbilisi and former opposition MP Givi Targamadze was given seven months. The scale and speed of the crackdown has come as a shock, and Nika Melia accused the government of trying to break the courage of Georgians. All of the jailed politicians have been convicted of refusing to testify before a parliamentary commission and barred from holding public office for two years. In what it called "the most severe democratic collapse in Georgia's post-Soviet history", anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said the governing Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, had launched "a full-scale authoritarian offensive".In a matter of days, jail terms have also been handed down to four other opposition leaders: Giorgi Vashadze, Zurab Japaridze, Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze. Another prominent opposition leader, Nika Gvaramia, is in pre-trial detention as well as a former defence minister."The Soviet Union has returned to our present and wants our minds to cling to the past," Nika Melia wrote on Facebook. Georgia regained its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in said this week that the arrest of opposition leaders was an "unprecedented attack on Georgia's democracy" and it called for an end to "repressive actions". After last October's elections, the opposition accused Ivanishvili's party of stealing the vote. Opposition parties then boycotted parliament and, when the European Parliament denounced the election as neither free nor fair, the ruling party halted Georgia's bid to join the European have since protested in central Tbilisi every night for more than 200 nights, demanding new elections and the release of all prisoners arrested during pro-EU government then set up an investigative parliamentary commission into the "alleged crimes" of the previous government before Georgian Dream came to power in 2012, specifically the period covering Georgia's war with Russia in 2008. Failing to comply with a "lawful request" by a parliamentary commission is a criminal offence under Georgia's criminal code. Opposition politicians have refused to testify, partly because of their boycott of parliament, but also because they reject it as a politically motivated attack on government critics. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told parliament on Friday that the commission was doing very important work exposing a previous government that was "entirely built on crime"."Everyone must understand once and for all that there is no place for criminals in Georgian politics."Human rights groups say 500 people have been arrested during the recent street protests and that 300 of them were subjected to torture. As many as 60 people are being held as political prisoners, they journalist Mzia Amaglobeli remains imprisoned, and independent TV stations face censorship and financial ruin. Earlier this week 40 civil society groups said that Bidzina Ivanishvili had "chosen to maintain power through dictatorship, and fundamental human rights are violated every day".Ivanishvili, who is under US sanctions, accumulated his wealth in Russia during the 1990s. He formally retired from politics but is widely believed to have control over all branches of month, a former confidant of Ivanishvili who went on the run said he was "kidnapped from abroad" and flown back to Georgia by force as a political Bachiashvili had been on trial in Georgia accused of misappropriating millions of dollars in a case he said was politically authorities say Bachiashvili, 39, was convicted of a crime while in absentia and will serve his jail lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, told the BBC he was deeply concerned for his safety: "Too many people see him as a highly competent political figure."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opposition leaders jailed as political crisis deepens in Georgia
Four key opposition figures have been jailed within days as part of a monthslong crackdown on dissent that followed a disputed election last October in the South Caucasus country. Nearly all leaders of Georgia's pro-Western opposition are now behind bars, as protests continue against the ruling Georgian Dream party and its decision last year to halt Georgia's bid to join the European Union.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Russia says it wants rule of law in Armenia after foiling of alleged coup plot there
The Kremlin, commenting on reports of a foiled coup plot in Armenia, said it was interested in law and order being upheld in the South Caucasus country but that the events there were an internal matter for Yerevan. Armenian authorities on Wednesday arrested a prominent archbishop who led protests last year against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and accused him of orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government. Armenia is a treaty ally of Russia and traditionally a close partner, although bilateral relations have become strained in recent years as Yerevan grows closer to the West. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Russia hoped there would be no new escalation of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan as the two sides are close to signing a peace deal.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Russia says it wants rule of law in Armenia after foiling of alleged coup plot there
MOSCOW, June 25 (Reuters) - The Kremlin, commenting on reports of a foiled coup plot in Armenia, said it was interested in law and order being upheld in the South Caucasus country but that the events there were an internal matter for Yerevan. Armenian authorities on Wednesday arrested a prominent archbishop who led protests last year against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and accused him of orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government. Armenia is a treaty ally of Russia and traditionally a close partner, although bilateral relations have become strained in recent years as Yerevan grows closer to the West. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Russia hoped there would be no new escalation of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan as the two sides are close to signing a peace deal.
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Georgia Jails Top Opposition Figures as Authorities Ramp Up Crackdown
Georgia has jailed four key opposition figures within days as part of a monthslong crackdown on dissent that followed a disputed election last October in the South Caucasus country. Nearly all leaders of Georgia's pro-Western opposition are now behind bars as protests continue against the ruling Georgian Dream party and its decision last year to halt Georgia's bid to join the European Union. The demonstrators who gather daily in the capital, Tbilisi, also say that the vote on Oct. 26 that handed Georgian Dream another term in power was not free or fair. On Tuesday, politician Giorgi Vashadze of the Strategy Agmashenebeli party was sentenced to eight months in prison for refusing to testify in an official probe that Georgian Dream's critics call an act of political revenge. The day before, three other opposition figures were handed comparable sentences after refusing to cooperate with the same parliamentary inquiry investigating alleged wrongdoings by the government of ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili. Badri Japaridze and Manuka Khazaradze were both jailed for eight months, while Zurab Japaridze received seven months. Opposition politicians have declined to attend the commission hearings, citing their ongoing boycott of parliament following the Oct. 26 election. Georgian Dream's critics say the vote was rigged with Russia's help to hand it another term in power. They also say the probe is a ploy by the ruling party to damage the opposition, particularly Saakashvili's United National Movement party. Speaking to The Associated Press before he was handcuffed on Tuesday, Vashadze said the commission hearings went against the Georgian constitution because no opposition lawmakers are represented and that the probe's aim is to persecute the opposition. 'They are afraid of us because we are fighting for our country and they see that there is big support from Georgian society… That's why I'm under arrest now,' he said. Other prominent government critics remain in pre-trial detention for declining to appear before the commission investigating Saakashvili. They include Nika Melia, a former chairman of Saakashvili's United National Movement party, and Nika Gvaramia, who was a minister in Saakashvili's government. A former defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, is also in custody. Melia, Gvaramia, and Zurab Japaridze were among the leaders of the opposition grouping Coalition for Change that finished second in the October vote, according to official results. Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday denied that their arrests were politically motivated. Meanwhile, anti-government protests continue daily in central Tbilisi. While numbers are far lower than last autumn, the demonstrations are big enough to block traffic around the parliament building. Many protesters have worn masks since the government imposed harsh penalties for blocking streets. Elene Khoshtaria, another prominent opposition politician, on Tuesday slammed Georgian Dream for using 'violence, repressions, political persecution' to snuff out dissent and Georgia's European future. She praised protesters for their persistence and called on Western countries to give stronger backing to Georgian Dream's critics. 'We are all in solidarity with all our friends and political prisoners,' she said, referring to those jailed or detained in recent weeks. 'As long as Georgia fights, I think our international partners should act in a very decisive and bold way.'
