“The dictatorship has been in place for a long time, politics has long ceased to exist, freedom has long been curtailed, and the freedom of choice has long been taken away. This is what a dictatorship is, not merely the adoption of a law formalizing it,” Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria wrote in a letter sent from prison, responding to the announcement that the Constitutional Court would begin hearing the case concerning the potential ban on political parties.

Khoshtaria wrote that the current struggle was not a party-political battle but a national liberation struggle.

“I will tell you honestly that I expected this, and I am very glad that there is now clarity that the process of banning political parties has begun. I am not glad about the dictatorship itself, but rather that we will wake up, both inside and outside the country, and call the dictatorship that exists in Georgia by its proper name. In reality, the dictatorship has been in place for a long time, politics has long ceased to exist, freedom has long been curtailed, and the freedom of choice has long been taken away. This is what a dictatorship is, not merely the adoption of a law formalizing it.

What we need today to continue the struggle is clarity, so that we can pursue a common strategy across all platforms. Formalizing this gives us a tool for a strong fight. It also gives our partners a concrete tool to take action, to act actively, and to stop deceiving themselves into thinking that this is merely some kind of democratic crisis. No, this is a dictatorship!

I am also glad that Bidzina Ivanishvili has failed to destroy us, the opposition parties. He has done everything to achieve this since 2024. Since he has failed to destroy us, he is now forced to ban us. This demonstrates the strength of the pro-Western political spectrum in Georgia.

Therefore, let us stop deceiving ourselves. We are not engaged in a party-political struggle; we, as citizens, are engaged in a national liberation struggle, and politicians must take on even greater responsibility,” Elene Khoshtaria wrote in her letter from prison.

Background: Hearings on the constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties have been scheduled to begin on October 21, according to opposition politicians’ social media posts.