We must be ready to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for the democratic collapse in Georgia, starting with oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, the British MP James McClair said at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

He described the situation in Georgia not only as a political crisis, but as an emergency, and accused the government of manipulating the Georgian people.

According to the British politician, we must never confuse the Government of Georgia with the Georgian people, because the Georgian people have not given up on Europe and “we must not give up on them.”

“We all know and fear that Georgia is facing not just a political crisis, but a state of emergency for democracy. The Georgian people have repeatedly shown where they want their country to go. They want a European future, democracy, the rule of law, free elections, and accountable institutions.

However, the ‘Georgian Dream’ government has chosen a very different path. They are manipulating the entire nation. They claim to support Georgia’s European future, while at the same time pulling the country ever closer to Moscow’s orbit. ‘Georgian Dream’ has suspended EU accession talks, adopted repressive laws, targeted civil society, threatened and persecuted opposition parties. They are using courts and police not as neutral institutions, but as instruments of political control. They have allowed Georgia to be used as a back door for Russia to evade sanctions imposed due to its war in Ukraine.

Opposition leaders have been arrested, protesters beaten, and dissent silenced. Elene Khoshtaria was arrested for a poster reading ‘Russian Dream.’ Now she is growing weaker in a prison cell while her four children at home wonder whether they will ever see their mother again.

There is a long list of other opposition figures in Georgia, some already mentioned by colleagues, who have been arrested as part of a broader campaign against the democratic opposition. This is not the behavior of a government confident in its people’s support; it is the behavior of a government that fears them.

The Council of Europe must be clear — we must demand the release of political prisoners, the repeal of repressive legislation, call for the protection of civil society and independent media, and a credible path toward free and fair elections.

We must be prepared to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for this democratic collapse, starting with oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and those who continue to support his grip on Georgia’s public life. And we must never confuse the Government of Georgia with the Georgian people. The Georgian people have not given up on Europe, and we must not give up on them,” McClair said.