Opinion: 'Georgian Dream holds society hostage like cornered terrorists'
Political analyst and former Georgian Dream MP Dimitri Tskitishvili, reacting to the latest wave of repression against pro-European opposition leaders, said that Georgian Dream has effectively taken the state and the entire society hostage — “like cornered terrorists.”
Criminal proceedings have been launched against leaders of Georgia’s pro-Western opposition — including Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nikanor Melia, Zurab Japaridze of the Girchi party, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the cases have been opened on charges of sabotage, assisting the hostile activities of a foreign state, financing actions aimed against Georgia’s constitutional order and national security, as well as incitement to violently overthrow the government.
Dimitri Tskitishvili: “What does the new stage of political repression mean?”
“This is a typical example of an escalation strategy — virtually the only tool left in Georgian Dream’s arsenal on the international stage.
What does Georgian Dream mean by its escalation strategy?
Every time Georgian Dream perceives pressure — in reality, actions taken by partners to defend democratic values — it responds by further escalating the situation. The aim is to force the European Union, the U.S. administration, the German government and others to back down, accept the status quo, and shift to transactional relations with the ruling party.
Georgian Dream has taken the state and society hostage — much like cornered actors resorting to desperate measures.
The party has, perhaps unintentionally, entered an escalation spiral from which a favourable outcome is becoming increasingly unlikely.
Why?
Unlike the Georgian Dream government, democratic states do not act based on the will of a single leader or small group of leaders.
They operate within institutional frameworks, according to established rules and procedures.
Therefore, under no circumstances will Georgian Dream be able to compel Brussels, Washington, Berlin, or any other democratic capital to take steps that contradict their own principles and procedures.
Moreover, such anti-democratic actions are likely to provoke a response, further deepening Georgia’s isolation. In time, Georgian Dream risks becoming an outcast on the international stage — possibly even for Russia.
Even Moscow needs a government in Tbilisi with access to Western financial markets to help move its sanctioned assets.
No one needs a regime despised by all, that has turned its country into a grey zone and offers no practical benefit in its relations.
So, you decide — is this the consolidation of authoritarian rule, or the convulsions of a failed dictatorship?”
