Georgia charges former PM and opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia
Georgian prosecutors have charged former Prime Minister and opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia with offences linked to his time in office, in what critics say is part of a widening crackdown on political opponents.
Gakharia, who led the ruling Georgian Dream party as prime minister from 2019 to 2021, resigned and later founded his own party, For Georgia, which came fifth in last year’s parliamentary election. He currently resides in Germany, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
According to Georgia’s Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze, Gakharia faces charges of exceeding his authority and causing injury to multiple people. The alleged offences carry a maximum prison term of 13 years.
The charges reportedly relate to:
A violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in June 2019.
The establishment of a checkpoint in September 2019 along the de facto border of the Russia-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia, which prosecutors say was illegal.
At the time of the alleged offences, Gakharia was serving as interior minister.
Critics accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by billionaire ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, of authoritarianism and pro-Russian tendencies. The party has recently intensified efforts to suppress dissent, including filing charges against other opposition leaders and seeking to ban Georgia’s three largest opposition parties.
Gakharia’s party, For Georgia, is currently the only opposition party that Georgian Dream has not sought to ban.
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