The article discusses the continued political repression in Georgia, where the ruling party, Georgian Dream, is jailing opposition leaders. Recently, Giorgi Vashadze, from the Strategy Builder party, was sentenced to seven months in prison for failing to cooperate with a governmental commission investigating prior abuse of power. His imprisonment, along with that of other opposition figures, raises alarms about the state of democracy in the country, particularly following contested elections. Opposition members accuse the government of using the commission as a tool for repression, and this has sparked widespread protests amidst claims of vote fraud and Russian intervention.
The jailing means that nearly all of the country's major pro-European opposition figures have now been imprisoned. The crackdown has increased accusations against the ruling Georgian Dream party that it is trampling on democracy amid ongoing protests in the wake of last year's disputed elections.
We are fighting for the country's liberation, Vashadze said before the verdict, the AFP news agency reported. Georgia has been racked by political turmoil since Georgian Dream secured a further term in power in October's parliamentary election.
Opposition figures say the commission is a ruse used by the government to stifle opponents. Saakashvili is currently serving a 12-and-a-half-year sentence on charges that rights groups say are politically motivated.
The Georgian Dream regime has imprisoned the whole of Georgia. The opposition continues to dispute the results, claiming vote fraud and Russian interference.
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