Opposition politician Nika Melia arrested in Tbilisi
Georgian oppositionist Nika Melia arrested in Tbilisi
One of the leaders of the opposition “Coalition for Change”, Nika Melia, has been arrested in Tbilisi. According to his lawyer Giorgi Kondakhashvili, police officers stopped Melia in the Lisi Lake area, where he was heading to record a program.
The lawyer said the opposition leader was stopped by a patrol and forced into a car. He ruled out the possibility that Melia’s arrest was related to any ongoing criminal case.
He suggested that the coalition leader was being detained under an administrative charge to force him to appear in court tomorrow – a hearing Melia had publicly refused to attend.
“The prosecution postponed the hearing until tomorrow under a technical pretext. My expectations were confirmed, as the deadline for Melia to pay bail expires today at midnight. This means that the prosecution would no longer have grounds to request his arrest during today’s hearing.
They ignored the defence’s request not to schedule the hearing for tomorrow and set it for 2:00 p.m. I believe the prosecution will likely request Melia be taken into custody to avoid losing time. I think this was prearranged with the court,” said lawyer Giorgi Kondakhashvili.
According to another “Coalition for Change” leader, Nika Gvaramia, there are no grounds for Melia’s arrest. He explained that, formally, the bail deadline had not yet expired and that the court had not ruled to change the measure of restraint.
По словам одного из лидеров «Коалиции за перемены» Ники Гварамии, для ареста Мелии нет никаких оснований. Как поясняет Гварамиа, формально срок выплаты залога Мелией не истек, и суд не выносил решения об изменении меры пресечения.
-
What is Temporary Commission for Investigating the Activities of the Previous Government?
Known in Georgia as the “Tea Tsulukiani Commission” (after its chair), the body is officially titled the Temporary Investigative Commission for Studying the Activities of the Regime and Political Officials of the 2003–2012 Period. It was established in February 2025 at the initiative of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The commission claims its purpose is to investigate possible human rights violations and abuses committed by the then-ruling United National Movement (UNM), including in the context of the August 2008 war. Today, the UNM is one of the leading opposition forces in the country. The commission is chaired by Thea Tsulukiani — Vice Speaker of Parliament, former Minister of Justice, and one of the most controversial figures in the Georgian Dream government, whose name has long been associated with political bias in the justice system.
The commission consists of eight MPs, five of whom represent Georgian Dream. The rest come from groups loyal to the ruling party, such as “People’s Power” and “European Socialists.”
According to parliamentary rules, attendance at the commission’s hearings is mandatory. This is not a mere formality: those who receive a summons are legally obliged to comply. Refusal leads to serious consequences — fines or even up to one year of imprisonment.
The commission has quasi-judicial powers, and refusal to cooperate is treated as contempt of law.
Most opposition politicians have refused to appear at the hearings. The only exception has been Giorgi Gakharia, a former Georgian Dream prime minister and now leader of the opposition party “For Georgia.”
Those refusing to cooperate argue that the most recent parliamentary elections, held on 26 October 2024, were marred by serious violations and do not reflect the true will of the people. As a result, the opposition parties and blocs that entered parliament renounced their mandates and consider all structures created by this parliament illegitimate.
Officially, the commission claims to be restoring historical justice and holding the “guilty” accountable. However, most observers believe its real aim is to distract public attention from the current crisis, shift the political focus away from the government and the street protests, and toward the opposition — bringing the confrontation into the walls of parliament. At the same time, the commission serves as a tool for the authorities to legally remove opposition forces from the political arena by banning them through court rulings and thus delegitimising them in the eyes of the electorate.
This view is shared by most local observers, NGOs, and a large portion of the international community, who have yet to recognise the election results.
During the 2024 autumn election campaign, Georgian Dream openly threatened to ban all major opposition parties if it secured a constitutional majority. However, even according to the Central Election Commission’s highly questionable official figures, the party failed to achieve this.
The commission began its work against the backdrop of a major political crisis that has persisted for several years. For over six months now, mass protests have been taking place in central Tbilisi. Protesters are demanding new parliamentary elections, the release of political prisoners (whose number now exceeds 50, according to rights groups), and an end to the ruling elite’s openly pro-Russian and anti-Western course.
It is worth recalling that a court hearing in Nika Melia’s case was scheduled for today, but neither Melia nor the prosecution attended the session. The next hearing is scheduled for 30 May at 2:00 p.m. Earlier today, Melia himself stated that he does not intend to appear in court tomorrow.
Previously, Melia was summoned to testify before the Georgian parliament’s temporary investigative commission tasked with probing the actions of the previous government, but he failed to appear, after which charges were brought against him.
Tbilisi City Court imposed a bail condition of 50,000 lari as a preventive measure. Melia has said that he does not intend to pay the sum.
On 22 May, opposition politician Zurab Japaridze was also taken into custody for failing to pay bail and refusing to appear before the investigative commission.
The prosecution requested a change in pre-trial measures after Japaridze declined to pay the 20,000 lari bail.
In addition, on 14 May, former Georgian Defence Minister (2004–2006) Irakli Okruashvili was sentenced to prison for failing to pay bail imposed for not attending the investigative commission. He was arrested in the courtroom. On 8 April, Okruashvili had been ordered to pay 20,000 lari in bail and was also banned from leaving the country.
