24 Feb in 0:15
Emerging Europe
Yesterday, the Georgian opposition organised a rally after the arrest of the leader of the largest opposition party, the United National Movement, Nika Melia. Georgian police arrested a top opposition leader on February 23, using tear gas in a dawn raid on his party headquarters, further deepening a political crisis sparked by last year’s parliamentary elections, the outcome of which the opposition disputes,
The arrest came days after Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia resigned following a disagreement over whether to take Niki Melia, the chairman of the United National Movement (UNM), into custody. Mr Gakharia, who had been PM since September 2019, resigned last week over a disagreement with his own team over the treatment of Mr Melia. On February 22, Georgia’s parliament confirmed Irakli Garibashvili as the country’s new prime minister. Mr Garibishvili told MPs that he intended to precede with the arrest of Mr Melia, who faces charges of organising “violent mass protests” during demonstrations against the Georgian government in 2019. Melia faces up to nine years behind bars if convicted.