U.S. Embassy: Georgia Backtracked on its Path to Democracy

The United States Embassy to Georgia said it is “deeply concerned by the government’s decision to detain the head of a major opposition political party at the party’s headquarters this morning.”

The statement highlighted that “Today, Georgia has moved backward on its path toward becoming a stronger democracy in the Euro-Atlantic family of nations.”

The Embassy said they “regret that the call of the United States and other international partners for restraint and dialogue was ignored.”

“We are dismayed by the polarizing rhetoric from Georgia’s leadership at a time of crisis,”the U.S. Embassy added.

“Force and aggression are not the solution to resolving Georgia’s political differences,” the Embassy concluded.

Chairman of the largest opposition United National Movement party Nika Melia, facing charges over June 20-21 of 2019 unrest case, was detained earlier this morning after police stormed UNM headquarters during a special operation.

The special operation came few hours after the election of new PM Irakli Garibashvili, who vowed during his confirmation hearing yesterday to “establish order in the country and return a number of destructive forces to the constitutional order and framework.”

• PM-Designate Garibashvili Prioritizes “Order,” State Intervention in Economy
• U.S. Embassy to Georgian Gov’t, Opposition: “De-escalate Tensions”
• Melia Verdict: U.S. Embassy Warns Against Violence

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