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Georgia opposition leaders jailed as crackdown intensifies

By AFP
June 24, 2025
Georgian police detain Nika Melia, the leader of opposition Akhali party, as anti-government demonstrators attempt to block a highway entrance to the capital Tbilisi on February 2, 2025. —AFP
Georgian police detain Nika Melia, the leader of opposition Akhali party, as anti-government demonstrators attempt to block a highway entrance to the capital Tbilisi on February 2, 2025. —AFP

TBILISI: Three Georgian opposition leaders were jailed on Monday in a mounting crackdown on dissent.

The country has been in political turmoil since the Georgian Dream party won parliamentary elections last October. The opposition disputed the results and mass protests erupted, which only intensified after the government shelved EU membership talks.

Demonstrators accuse the ruling party of sliding into authoritarianism and steering the country closer to Moscow -- accusations the government denies. Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, joint leaders of the opposition Lelo party and staunch government critics, were each handed eight months in prison and barred from holding public office for two years.