Photo: Giorgi Gakharia – Wikimedia Commons
Last week, on January 15, leader of the Georgian opposition party For Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, was severely beaten in a hotel lobby. His party accused members of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party to be responsible for the attack and Dito Samkharadze, a member of the Georgian Parliament for GD, and Giorgi Manvelidze, a member of the Supreme Council of Adjara for GD, have been named as the attackers. At the same time, the GD government has attempted to cover their tracks. The hotel in which the attack happened has, for example, refused to hand over the video of the incident and immediately cleaned the crime scene, probably due to pressure from GD as stated by a representative for Gakharia’s party.
The EU’s Lead Spokesperson on Foreign and Security Policy, Anitta Hipper, responded to the attack by stating that “The reported involvement of Georgian Dream politicians in the brutal attack on former Georgian Prime Minister and opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia is shocking.” Moreover, Matthew Miller, the State Department Spokesperson for the United States, called the attack “another example of Georgian Dream’s oppressive tactics, which will leave the country isolated.” Thus, for both the EU and the US it is very clear who is behind this attack.
The attack on Gakharia also fits within a larger pattern of violence by GD against the opposition and peaceful protestors. Amnesty International has stated that, in Georgia, “It has become increasingly clear that the police are operating as if enjoying an assurance of impunity from the government, using sporadic acts of violence by protesters, often provoked by their own actions, as a pretext for repression.” Moreover, Human Rights Watch reported that “In widespread and apparently punitive acts, security forces have chased down, violently detained, and beat protesters.”
It is very clear that GD is using violence to repress the opposition in Georgia. However, the EU has still not imposed sanctions on Georgia, due to a veto by Hungary and Slovakia. The US has imposed some sanctions, but with the new Trump presidency it is not clear if they will continue this. From the attack on Gakharia it becomes very clear that opposition figures and protestors need to be protected from the GD government. The rest of the world cannot look away while GD is destroying the freedom of speech in Georgia and violently cracking down on all forms of opposition.
Individual countries, especially within the EU, should impose sanctions on GD officials and support the Georgian opposition. They should recognize that this has become a question of defending human rights and must act before it is too late. The GD government cannot be allowed to operate with impunity.
Written by Guido Boven
