EU and 17 countries: We are deeply concerned about the worsening situation in Georgia

Seventeen European countries and the European Union (EU) have expressed "deep concern about the worsening situation in Georgia," where a wave of repression against dissent is raging.

"We will not hesitate to use the full range of unilateral and multilateral measures at our disposal if the Georgian authorities continue to take measures that undermine democracy and human rights in Georgia," the joint statement released today said.

The signatories of the statement are the foreign ministers of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the EU High Representative.

At least five Georgian opposition figures have been convicted in recent weeks for refusing to testify before a parliamentary committee investigating possible abuses committed during the rule of President Mikheil Saakashvili (2004-2013), who has been in prison since 2021.

According to the statement, these convictions are motivated by "political motives with the clear aim of suppressing the political opposition in Georgia, just a few months before local elections."

This repression "contributes to the dismantling of democracy in Georgia and its rapid transformation into an authoritarian regime," it is assessed.

This has already "resulted in a significant deterioration in our relations, including a reduction in aid to Georgia and cooperation with the Georgian authorities," the statement says, and the Europeans believe, it is added, "not too late to change course."

To do this, the Georgian authorities must "immediately release unjustly detained politicians, journalists and activists, repeal their repressive legislation and open a national dialogue."

Georgia has been in a political crisis since the victory of the Georgian Dream party in the October 2024 parliamentary elections, which the opposition rejected, considering the vote rigged.

In late November 2024, the government announced that it was suspending the process of joining the European Union, which sparked large opposition protests that the government violently suppressed, with threats and arrests of activists and demonstrators.