Due to the refusal on summons for the unconstitutional commission of the illegitimate parliament, the “Georgian Dream” regime is persecuting opposition politicians

Due to the refusal on summons for the unconstitutional investigative commission of the illegitimate parliament, the “Georgian Dream” regime is persecuting opposition politicians. Through a sanctioned justice system, the regime aims to suppress the ongoing continuous protest in the country, forcibly gain the legitimization of the parliament, and eliminate democratic, pro-Western opposition politicians from the political field.

After the massive falsification of the 2024 parliamentary elections, all members of parliament, except for representatives of the “Georgian Dream”, refused their mandates and boycotted parliamentary activity. According to the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission’s conclusion, compared to previous parliamentary elections, these elections were not competitive and fundamental freedoms were not respected. According to the report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the violations observed during the October 26 elections affected the fairness of the electoral process and the legitimacy of the results. In light of this, in January 2025, PACE adopted a resolution demanding the new parliamentary elections in Georgia. A similar call was made by the European Parliament.

Within the framework of the illegitimate parliament, in violation of the requirements of the Constitution of Georgia, the “Georgian Dream” regime established a so-called temporary investigative commission. According to the Constitution of Georgia, the opposition’s representation in a temporary commission must not be less than half of the total number of commission members. However, since no one but the “Georgian Dream” recognizes the legitimacy of the parliament, there is no opposition represented in the investigative commission. Therefore, the establishment of a single-party temporary investigative commission is a direct violation of the Constitution of Georgia.

The purpose of the unconstitutional temporary investigative commission is to overshadow the criminal actions of the “Georgian Dream” regime by focusing on the crimes of the previous government, while simultaneously engaging in propaganda and information manipulation. Additionally, through this unconstitutional commission, the “Georgian Dream” is attempting to create the illusion that some political process or debate is taking place in an illegitimate, depoliticized parliament.

Within the framework of the illegitimate parliament’s unconstitutional commission, opposition politicians, former politicians, civil society representatives, journalists, and professionals from other fields were summoned. The aim is to use the threat of criminal liability to coerce appearances before the unconstitutional commission, thereby allowing the illegitimate parliament to gain forced legitimacy through their presence.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has initiated criminal proceedings against those who did not appear before the unconstitutional commission of the illegitimate parliament — the agency has already filed motions with the court for the imposition of pre-trial measures. The goal is to eliminate opposition members of parliament and individuals unacceptable to the “Georgian Dream” regime from political and public life. It should be noted that the Prosecutor General of Georgia and the so-called leaders of the judicial “clan” are sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the United States, and various European states — the sanctions are based on the subordination of independent judicial systems to the “Georgian Dream” and widespread human rights violations.

In its April 10, 2025 resolution, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemned the establishment of the parliamentary commission by the illegitimate parliament due to its broad powers. The Assembly also expressed concern about the criminal prosecution of opposition and civil society representatives. Of particular concern was the summoning of former PACE members to the commission for actions taken in their capacity as assembly members — which was highlighted as contrary to Georgia’s obligations before the Council of Europe.

At a time when all state institutions of Georgia are controlled by the “Georgian Dream” regime, we call on international organizations to issue strong assessments regarding the political persecution of opposition politicians, former politicians, civil society representatives, journalists, and professionals from other fields. We also call on them to use international and domestic legal mechanisms at their disposal to hold the “Georgian Dream” regime legally accountable — for massive human rights violations and breaches of democratic principles.

Additionally, we call on the OSCE/ODIHR to begin, within a short timeframe, monitoring the criminal proceedings against political prisoners, in accordance with the appeal made by the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili.