European Parliament faction adopts resolution on Georgia's political crisis

European Parliament’s resolution on Georgian crisis

On 14 January, the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest faction in the European Parliament, adopted an urgent resolution titled “Political Crisis in Georgia,” calling on the EU and its member states to immediately impose sanctions on Georgian Dream party leaders Bidzina Ivanishvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Kakha Kaladze, Irakli Garibashvili, and Shalva Papuashvili.

The resolution also urges EPP members not to recognize the self-proclaimed regime of Georgian Dream as Georgia’s legitimate government, to refrain from inviting representatives of the party to official international events, and to withhold recognition of Georgian Dream’s authority within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

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Key points of resolution::

● Recognise Salome Zourabiсhvili as the legitimate President of Georgia and the sole legitimate representative of Georgia in international relations;;

● Urge the conduct of new elections in an improved electoral environment, managed by an independent and impartial election administration, with diligent international observation, to ensure a genuinely fair and transparent process;

● Continue imposing targeted sanctions on Georgian Dream officials responsible for democratic backsliding, electoral fraud, state-sponsored terror, mass human rights violations and the persecution of political opponents and activists;particularly to call on the European Union and its member states to impose immediate and targeted sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Kakha Kaladze, Irakli Gharibashvili, Shalva Papuashvili;

● Support the use of all international human rights mechanisms, including in the OSCE, Council of Europe and the UN to investigate election fraud and violence against civilians;

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● Suspend all financial support and strategic partnerships with the Georgian Dream regime to prevent enabling its anti-democratic actions and strengthen collaboration with Georgia’s critical media, civil society organizations to foster resilience against authoritarianism, and to reassess all instruments of EU relations with Georgian authorities.

● Severely limit formal EU-level contacts with the so-called Georgian Government and Parliament, including visits to Georgia that do not serve the purpose of conduct of new elections and release of political prisoners.

● Advocate for  the immediate release of all political prisoners charged with administrative or criminal “offenses” and who face possible multi-year sentence, as well as the immediate release of third President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili.

Full text of the resolution

European Parliament’s resolution on Georgian crisis