MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia – B10-0116/2025

B10‑0116/2025

European Parliament resolution on the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia

(2025/2522(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia, in particular its resolution of 9 October 2024 on the democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia[1], and of 28 November 2024 on Georgia’s worsening democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud[2],

– having regard to the joint statement by the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus and the Standing Rapporteur for Georgia of 29 November 2024 on the Georgian government’s decision to pause its accession to the European Union,

– having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part[3],

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 17 December 2024 on Enlargement,

– having regard to the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos of 1 December 2024 on Georgia,

– having regard to the joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and Poland on 31 December 2024,

– having regard to Rules 136(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas at the end of November 2024, Irakli Kobakhidze announced the decision by Georgian Dream not to pursue the opening of EU accession negotiations and to reject EU financial support until 2028, thus violating Georgia’s Constitution; whereas part of this funding had, in reality, already been suspended by the Commission on account of Georgia not fulfilling the nine criteria for starting the accession process, as set out by the Commission communication of 8 November 2023 on EU Enlargement Policy (COM(2023)6900);

B. whereas this announcement followed the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024, which failed to meet international democratic standards and Georgia’s commitments as a participating state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe; whereas Parliament strongly condemned widespread electoral violations, did not recognise the results of the elections, and called for new elections in an improved electoral environment;

C. whereas the current Georgian regime, led by the Georgian Dream party and its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has orchestrated an unconstitutional usurpation of power, systematically dismantling democratic institutions, undermining judicial independence and eroding fundamental freedoms, thereby deepening Georgia’s political and constitutional crisis; whereas this illegitimate consolidation of power has sparked massive grassroots protests, with hundreds of thousands of citizens peacefully demonstrating every evening throughout the country in support of democratic values and European integration;

D. whereas the protests have been met with an alarming escalation of state violence, repression and democratic backsliding, with arbitrary detentions of activists, opposition leaders and journalists, and targeted violence by police and informal groups linked to Georgian Dream, and with over 50 political prisoners currently being detained; whereas civil society organisations and the Public Defender of Georgia report credible cases of torture and inhumane treatment without accountability;

E. whereas riot police deliberately lacking force identification numbers have forcefully dispersed protesters with tear gas and water cannons; whereas numerous journalists reported being targeted and beaten, and having their equipment destroyed and personal items stolen; whereas dozens of protesters were brutally assaulted, and several hundred people were arrested; whereas Georgia’s Public Defender has revealed that 80 % of those detained reported experiencing violence and inhumane treatment at the hands of law enforcement officers;

F. whereas independent media outlets, such as TV Formula, TV Mtavari and TV Pirveli, face severe operational and financial constraints due to the regime’s interference, while dozens of media representatives are being subjected to various forms of intense physical and psychological pressure; whereas Ivanishvili’s regime and its propagandists continue to disseminate anti-EU disinformation based on lies and conspiracies about the ‘Global War Party’ and ‘Deep State’;

G. whereas Mzia Amaglobeli, director of the prominent independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was unlawfully arrested twice in January 2025 and is facing politically motivated charges that highlight the misuse of the justice system to suppress dissent; whereas the Public Defender has contested Amaglobeli’s pre-trial detention, citing insufficient evidence and procedural violations of Georgian law and European Court of Human Rights decisions; whereas Mzia Amaglobeli has been on hunger strike since her arrest, and her health has deteriorated, putting her life at risk;

H. whereas on the night of 14 January 2025, Giorgi Gakharia, opposition leader of the For Georgia party and former Prime Minister, and Zviad Koridze, journalist and Transparency International activist, were physically assaulted by Georgian Dream officials in separate incidents at the same venue in Batumi;

I. whereas on 2 February 2025, Nika Melia, a leader of the pro-European Akhali party, and Gigi Ugulava, the former mayor of Tbilisi, were arrested during the anti-government protests and subjected to physical violence in detention;

J. whereas recent amendments by Georgia’s Parliament to the Criminal Code, to the Code of Administrative Offences and to the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations severely restrict freedoms of assembly and expression, expand police powers and introduce penalties for verbal insults of government officials, public servants and law enforcement officers, enabling widespread repression and further undermining democratic rights; whereas these measures, which impose disproportionately harsh punishments, are a direct attack on rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of Georgia ;

K. whereas new decrees criminalising road blockades aim to intimidate citizens and suppress peaceful assembly; whereas the de facto authorities have increased the maximum term of administrative detention to 60 days and have banned protests in indoor spaces; whereas Georgian Dream has announced plans to introduce new laws targeting media and civil society organisations;

L. whereas on 14 December 2024, in a process lacking democratic legitimacy, the electoral college controlled by Georgian Dream elected former football player Mikheil Kavelashvili, the sole nominated candidate, as President of Georgia; whereas the EU and most Member States have not formally recognised this sham election; whereas President Salomé Zourabichvili left the presidential palace of her own volition while stating that she would remain in office until new elections are held;

M. whereas Georgian Dream has announced its intention to introduce new restrictive measures in the coming months, such as a media law that would limit the possibility of receiving financial support from foreign sources, and other measures that include the removal of mandatory civil society participation from the public decision-making process, the further tightening of restrictions on civil society organisations through the adoption of another version of the ‘foreign agent’ law, forcing them to register foreign funds, the tightening of drug policy and legislation, and of juvenile justice, and the banning of civil servants from participating in international projects; whereas the intended education reform, in particular the ‘transformation’ of the university system, targets opposition-minded professors and students; whereas Georgian Dream’s propaganda falsely presents some of the proposed legislative changes as mirroring similar legislation in Western democratic countries;

N. whereas from the very beginning of its activity, the current Georgian Parliament operates as a one-party (Georgian Dream) organ, which is incompatible with the essence of pluralistic parliamentary democracy; whereas at a plenary session on 5 February 2025, Georgia’s illegitimate parliament voted to strip 49 opposition members of parliament of their mandates, so as to remove their immunity and facilitate their arrest and prosecution, while the remaining parliamentary opposition party, Gakharia for Georgia, has remained in parliament but is boycotting parliamentary activities; whereas the same parliament established a commission to punish former ruling party United National Movement;

O. whereas the Member States have agreed to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian officials holding diplomatic passports but failed to impose personal sanctions in response to the continued crackdown; whereas several Member States, including Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Czechia, have imposed bilateral sanctions on some Georgian politicians, judges and other officials responsible for the brutal crackdown on protesters, as well as violations of human rights and abuse of the rule of law;

P. whereas oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian Dream leader, who holds EU citizenship and owns properties and assets in the EU, wields considerable influence over Georgia’s economy and has played a defining role in the country’s democratic backsliding and in undermining its Euro-Atlantic orientation;

Q. whereas the shift away from EU aspirations has coincided with a move towards Russia-aligned foreign policy and Russian-style laws; whereas there are reports of EU sanctions targeting Russia being circumvented through the Tbilisi Free Zone;

R. whereas in December 2024, the United States sanctioned Bidzina Ivanishvili, alongside Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and Deputy Head of the Special Tasks Department Mirza Kezevadze, for their involvement in brutal crackdowns on media representatives, opposition figures and protesters; whereas the UK and Ukraine imposed similar sanctions on high-level Georgian officials; whereas Ivanishvili, through hastily adopted laws tailored to his personal situation, is moving his offshore assets to Georgia in anticipation of further sanctions;

S. whereas despite international condemnation, the illegitimate Georgian Government has awarded medals to officials involved in the crackdown;

T. whereas the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has imposed conditions on the Georgian Dream regime including new elections and the release of political prisoners, prompting Georgia to suspend its participation in PACE;

1. Condemns the violent repression of protesters, the media and opposition leaders; demands the immediate release of all detainees and an end to political persecution and torture, emphasising the need to uphold fundamental rights in line with Georgia’s Constitution and its international obligations;

2. Recalls that the adoption of anti-democratic laws had effectively suspended Georgia’s EU integration process; demands the repeal of the legislation undermining the rule of law and a pluralistic democracy, including laws on the ‘transparency of foreign influence’ and on ‘family values and protection of minors’ and the newly adopted laws severely restricting the freedom of peaceful assembly and targeting the civil service; regrets the authoritarian illegal power grab of the current Georgian Dream regime and the betrayal of the Georgian people’s pro-European aspirations;

3. Condemns the propaganda of Georgian Dream and its justification of repressive laws against civil society and independent media on the pretext that the same laws apply in democratic Western countries, and reiterates its call for the immediate repeal of anti-democratic laws;

4. Reiterates its unwavering support for the Georgian people’s legitimate European aspirations and their desire for a prosperous and democratic country that upholds fundamental freedoms and human rights and guarantees an independent media and free and fair elections; notes that anti-government and pro-European protests in Georgia have continued for more than 70 consecutive days; urges the Georgian de facto authorities to protect citizens’ right to assemble, and to refrain from using unwarranted force against them;

5. Reiterates its rejection of the legitimacy of the October 2024 elections and the subsequent Georgian Dream government; considers Georgia as a state captured by the illegitimate Georgian Dream regime; calls for the EU and its Member States, as well as national parliaments and interparliamentary institutions, not to recognise the legitimacy of the current Georgian Dream one-party parliament and the President, appointed on 14 December 2024; continues to recognise Salomé Zourabichvili as the legitimate President of Georgia and representative of the Georgian people; calls for the EU and its Member States to uphold this recognition and to fully support her efforts aimed at settling the current political and constitutional crisis in Georgia;

6. Underlines that the settlement of the current political and constitutional crisis in Georgia can be achieved only by way of new, free and fair parliamentary elections, with the process conducted in an improved electoral environment by an independent and impartial election administration, under international observation;

7. Calls for the EU and its Member States not to include Georgian officials in international meetings and to suspend high-level engagements until the political and constitutional crisis is resolved; calls for the EU and the Member States issue clear statements of non-recognition of the illegitimate authorities and call for new elections; welcomes PACE’s decision to challenge the credentials of Georgia’s parliamentary delegation due to democratic backsliding and human rights abuses;

8. Calls for the immediate release of Mzia Amaglobeli from detention as well as a thorough investigation into the ill treatment she endured during and after her arrest;

9. Condemns the politically motivated assaults on Giorgi Gakharia and Zviad Koridze and the arrests of and violence against Nika Melia and Gigi Ugulava as a concerning escalation of political violence, recognising them as part of broader efforts to intimidate opposition figures and undermine democratic processes in Georgia;

10. Calls for the EU and all Member States to join the US and the UK in immediately imposing effective and comprehensive personal sanctions – at the EU level if possible, and otherwise on a bilateral and coordinated basis – on officials and political leaders in Georgia who are responsible for democratic backsliding, violations of electoral laws and standards, administrative abuses, violence and inhumane treatment, as well as on judges issuing politically motivated sentences, media propagandists and members of the business elite who tacitly or openly support the regime; reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to impose sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, his family and his companies and to strip him of honorific titles and orders for his role in the severe deterioration of the political process in Georgia;

11. Emphasises that respect for fundamental rights is vital to the EU’s visa liberalisation benchmarks; reiterates its call on the Commission and the Council to review Georgia’s visa-free status, with the possibility of suspension if it is considered that EU standards on democratic governance and freedoms are not being upheld;

12. Expresses alarm at the climate of intimidation and polarisation fuelled by Georgian Dream representatives; underlines that anything but the full restoration of Georgia’s democratic standards will entail a further deterioration of EU-Georgia relations and result in additional sanctions;

13. Expresses its concern about recent announcements by Georgian Dream on introducing new legislation, such as a new media law, aimed at further tightening the rights and freedoms of civil society and independent media;

14. Supports the Council’s decision to redirect funding from the Georgian authorities to civil society; urges the EU institutions responsible to accelerate the process of providing grants to civil society, grassroots movements and independent media, especially since slow EU processes and recently frozen support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) are putting the activities of many civil society organisations and media channels at risk; calls for the EU and its Member States to increase their support to Georgian civil society and ensure it effectively benefits the media outlets currently threatened with closure;

15. Reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili on humanitarian grounds for the purpose of seeking medical treatment abroad;

16. Calls on the President of the European Council to invite President Zourabichvili to represent Georgia at an upcoming European Council meeting and at the next meeting of the European Political Community;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the de facto authorities of Georgia.