Seventeen European countries and the European Union expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in Georgia, where a crackdown on opposition members is underway, in a joint statement released on Saturday.
“We will not hesitate to use the full range of unilateral and multilateral tools at our disposal if the Georgian authorities continue with measures undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia,” warned the countries, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Belgium.
At least five figures from the Georgian opposition have been sentenced in recent weeks for refusing to testify before a parliamentary commission investigating possible abuses during President Mikheil Saakashvili’s tenure (2004-2013); he has been imprisoned since 2021.
The signatories of the statement are the foreign ministers of Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the EU High Representative.
According to them, these sentences are politically motivated, aimed at stifling political opposition in Georgia just months before local elections.
They claim this repression contributes to the dismantling of democracy in Georgia and a rapid shift towards an authoritarian regime, noting it has already led to significantly deteriorated relations, including a reduction in assistance to Georgia and cooperation with its authorities.
The Europeans contend that it’s not too late to reverse course. Georgian authorities must immediately release unjustly detained political figures, journalists, and activists, repeal repressive legislation, and initiate a national dialogue.
Georgia has faced a political crisis since the Georgian Dream party’s victory in the October 2024 parliamentary elections, which the opposition dismissed as rigged.
In late November 2024, the government announced it was suspending its EU membership process, sparking large long-lasting opposition protests that were violently suppressed, with threats and arrests of activists and demonstrators. European policy was so far characterized by almost complete inaction.
European foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the situation in Georgia during a meeting on Tuesday in Brussels. They will consider potential measures in response to the escalating repression in the country.
