“If anyone is not sovereign today, it is Georgian Dream, which depends on the views of one person and the mood of one person - Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Gota Chanturia, a member of the Social Democracy Movement, said on PalitraNews’ program “Day's Newsroom,” responding to statements by Georgian Dream representatives that the Georgian government currently pursues a policy of protecting the country’s sovereignty.

Regarding the U.S. House of Representatives’ National Defense Authorization Act bill, which includes a provision concerning Georgia, and the question of what the Secretary of State, who has also been tasked with assessing Georgia’s domestic political environment, would see, Gota Chanturia said that “the Secretary of State will first and foremost see political persecution of everyone whom Georgian Dream does not like.”

“Georgian Dream is in a very difficult situation in terms of foreign policy, including with the United States, where numerous reports are being written, all in a negative context. Strategic relations have effectively been severed and suspended, and I cannot imagine anything changing under this policy, when we have numerous political prisoners, repressive laws are being adopted, and senior U.S. officials are alternately described as part of the ‘deep state,’ as agents or as a hostile state. Georgian Dream would have to make radical changes for these relations to improve even slightly. It is unfortunate that we have reached and fallen to this level, and that is precisely why we want Georgian Dream to be changed, because we see no prospects, including in terms of foreign policy.

“As for what the U.S. representatives in Georgia will see, they will see political persecution of everyone whom Georgian Dream does not like, everyone who fights against Georgian Dream, everyone who holds a different position and everyone who fights against violence. The case of Vakho Sanaya is also a precedent: a person is being sent to prison for 14 days over a Facebook post. I personally do not like the previous government because it filled the prisons, and now we have received a similar picture, when people are imprisoned without any reason, simply because they oppose Georgian Dream. This is not only directed against Vakho Sanaya; it is a signal to others not to express their opinions.

“The government’s methods are violent, but they take different forms. In Sanaya’s case, he was detained over a Facebook post; in the case of Onise Okria­shvili, the propaganda machine spread unbelievable lies, and eventually ‘titushki’ confronted him near his home. Some people have been fined, some have received phone calls, and some have been dismissed from their jobs. Repression is coming from all sides, and it would not be true to say that it has no effect. We all see that it does have an effect - that is precisely why authoritarianism is authoritarianism.

“This group connects everything to itself, its own well-being and the preservation of its power. And if anyone is not sovereign today, it is Georgian Dream, which depends on the views of one person and the mood of one person - Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Gota Chanturia said.

Regarding the case of Onise Okria­shvili, Chanturia said that neither Irakli Zarqua nor those who attacked Okria­shvili have any understanding of Nodar Dumbadze’s work, as Dumbadze himself often joked about God and religion.

“Nodar Dumbadze himself joked about God and religion. He wrote so much, including humorous works, and he had a very good sense of humor. Georgian Dream would have smeared him too if he were alive today. They simply have not read him and have no understanding of Nodar Dumbadze’s work, including the people who attacked Okria­shvili and Irakli Zarqua. Moreover, it was a lie to claim that Onise Okria­shvili insulted Nodar Dumbadze. That was not the case,” Gota Chanturia said.

As for the postponement of the so-called “sabotage case” until the autumn, Gota Chanturia believes that Georgian Dream is using pressure on the opposition as a political instrument and to shape the political agenda.

“In my opinion, they use this as a political instrument, both against the opposition and in foreign relations. For a long time, they have been saying that they have filed an application with the Constitutional Court against the opposition. This is a political weapon in their hands. In addition, they create the agenda. We cannot discuss other real, substantive issues when this is happening, and we cannot move beyond it. For years now, there has been talk of pressure on the opposition, and Georgian Dream uses this very effectively.

“We are trapped in this dichotomy: Georgian Dream versus the collective United National Movement. They also use this effectively against society because they themselves know that if this political instrument is taken away from them, what will they have next? This case is therefore a good weapon for Georgian Dream. Obviously, it is completely illegal, unfair and immoral, and unacceptable to everyone. But they play the game in such a way that they postpone it for a while today, then if something changes in September, they postpone it again, while keeping it in reserve so that, if something happens, they can move on to arrests,” Gota Chanturia said.