The British ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, said the development of the political crisis in recent days was “very worrying”. “The renewal of violence against opposition politicians and the arbitrary detention of journalists and protesters are unacceptable,” he said.
Gakharia is not the first opposition leader to face violence in recent weeks. Niko Gvaramiya, who heads the Coalition for Change, was knocked to the ground unconscious when he was detained in the capital, Tbilisi, last month.
Dozens of Georgian journalists and protesters were also attacked and injured by pro-government thugs during night protests.
Georgian Dream is accused by the EU and the US of backing away from democracy, while opposition groups accuse the party and its billionaire founder Bidina Ivanishvili of pursuing Russian interests, while the vast majority of Georgians want to join the EU.
Giorgi Gakharia was previously a leading member of Georgian Dream until 2021, serving as interior minister and then prime minister before forming his own opposition party, For Georgia.
In his statement, the Ombudsman of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, condemned the attacks on Gakharia and Zviad Karidze. He called for an immediate response “so that there is no incitement to attacks on politicians and journalists.”
Gakharia’s party was one of four opposition groups that won seats in the October election, but all refused to take their seats, accusing the ruling party of vote-rigging.
The European Parliament called for repeat elections, calling them neither free nor fair, and the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, Kaya Kalas, accused the government of using repression against the opposition.
