Giorgi Melashvili: What happened today in the courtrooms and the courtyard shows that “Georgian Dream” relies on the use of force — the sole purpose of these draconian laws is to further deepen authoritarianism

What happened today in the courtroom and in the courtyard — young people being beaten, forcibly removed — shows that “Georgian Dream” relies on brute force, said Giorgi Melashvili, founder of the European-Georgian Institute, during an appearance on Palitra News’s program “Day Newsroom.”

According to Melashvili, the laws adopted by the government in response to the protests are inhumane and aim solely at deepening authoritarianism.

“The draconian laws passed by Georgian Dream in response to the protests don’t even fall within the bounds of basic humanity. These are entirely disproportionate measures, and they serve only one purpose — to further entrench authoritarianism. What we are seeing in the court hallways, in the courtyard, the efforts by Georgian Dream to completely block the public from seeing what’s happening inside courtrooms — from false witnesses to incompetent judges — all of this points to the existence of an authoritarian judicial system. It clearly shows that the judiciary in Georgia does not function as an independent branch of government; it simply follows the regime’s orders,” Melashvili said.

Melashvili also commented on the upcoming local elections and said he does not see the point of participating unless a key question is answered: “What happens if parties take part in the elections and Georgian Dream falsifies the results?”

“The questions I had about the local elections remain. What happens if parties participate and Georgian Dream rigs the vote? I haven’t received an answer to this question — at least not one that would motivate me or give confidence in participating in the election. Until I have an answer to these questions, I don’t see the point of taking part in the elections.

Georgian Dream is pushing toward the red lines that exist for Georgian society. We see that the protest has not been broken, despite all the draconian laws passed, despite the fines and violence against people. In fact, resistance still exists — and it is only growing,” Melashvili concluded.