“The way Georgian Dream treats its opponents resembles not even the late Soviet era, but the repressions of 1937,” says Davit Darchiashvili, professor at Ilia State University in Tbilisi.
He believes the government refuses to acknowledge the political crisis in the country, which will not be resolved by eliminating the opposition – even if they are all imprisoned.
“The government says: ‘This is who I am, take it or leave it!’ What we are witnessing now are classic repressions against dissent. The goal is to eliminate opponents while giving the repression a legal appearance. That’s the purpose behind all these restrictive laws,” says Davit Darchiashvili.
In his view, public discontent and protest sentiment in Georgia are clearly visible – something any responsible government should take into account:
“This discontent won’t disappear and will continue to affect the government. The international situation is also highly volatile and dynamic – at some point, the government will realize it can no longer govern a country where it has caused such widespread dissatisfaction.”
Darchiashvili adds that the statements made by Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili are becoming increasingly “irrational,” further damaging Georgia’s international standing, especially given that the European Union has effectively refused to recognize the results of the 2024 parliamentary elections and has downgraded its relations with Georgia to a minimum.
