WASHINGTON—In response to mounting violence by the Georgian authorities against concerned Georgian citizens and members of the political opposition, Freedom House interim President Nicole Bibbins Sedaca issued the following statement:
“We stand in solidarity with Georgians participating in mass protests, who are exercising their right to assemble and voice dissatisfaction with the ruling party’s decision to break with the public’s widespread and deeply held commitment to the pursuit of European Union membership. Rather than listening to the grievances and the dissatisfaction of citizens, Georgia’s leaders have chosen an illiberal, antidemocratic path.
“Violence should never have any part in the political process, and we are deeply concerned by attacks on protesters and members of the political opposition. We urge the government to uphold the rule of law, protect the right to peacefully protest, and immediately release all those wrongfully detained.”
On November 28, 2024, shortly after the European Parliament passed a resolution declaring the October 26 Georgian parliamentary election “neither free nor fair,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of Georgia’s European Union membership talks until the end of 2028.
Thousands of Georgians took to the streets across the country to protest the government’s decision. The authorities responded with heavy handed crowd-control measures, including excessive violence. By the sixth day of protests, nearly 300 individuals had been detained, while Georgia’s ombudsman has accused the police of “inflicting torture” on some of those arrested.
Additionally, authorities have detained numerous leaders of opposition political parties, effectively realizing a preelection threat by Prime Minister Kobakhidze to “ban the opposition.” Among them is Nika Gvaramia, leader of the opposition Coalition for Change, who was physically assaulted and knocked unconscious during his arrest.
To date, the international democratic community has already taken action in the form of the United States’ suspension of the US-Georgia Strategic Partnership mechanism, and the Baltics states’ sanctioning of key ruling officials in Georgia’s government.
Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan democracy organization that works to create a world where all are free. We inform the world about threats to freedom, mobilize global action, and support democracy’s defenders.
