Georgian opposition figure Giorgi Vashadze jailed in widening crackdown

The condemnation sees astir absorption leaders down bars arsenic the ruling Georgian Dream squeezes critics and rivals.

A Georgian tribunal has sentenced an absorption person to 7 months successful prison, arsenic a crackdown by the governing enactment connected its rivals continues.

The Tbilisi tribunal imposed the condemnation connected Giorgi Vashadze, a person of the Strategy Builder party, connected Tuesday for failing to cooperate with a committee investigating maltreatment of powerfulness by a erstwhile government.

The jailing means that astir each of the country’s large pro-European absorption figures person present been imprisoned. The crackdown has accrued accusations against the ruling Georgian Dream enactment that it is trampling connected ideology amid ongoing protests successful the aftermath of past year’s disputed elections.

Vashadze, lawman curate of justness from 2010 to 2012, was recovered blameworthy of refusing to cooperate with a authorities committee investigating alleged maltreatment during its clip successful powerfulness nether erstwhile President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Opposition figures accidental the committee is simply a ruse utilized by the authorities to stifle opponents.

Saakashvili is presently serving a 12-and-a-half-year sentence connected charges that rights groups accidental are politically motivated.

Vashadze, whose enactment belongs to a conjugation that came 3rd successful past year’s election, was besides handed a two-year prohibition connected holding nationalist office.

Three different absorption figures person been jailed connected the aforesaid charge.

“The Georgian Dream authorities has imprisoned the full of Georgia. We are warring for the country’s liberation,” Vashadze said earlier the verdict, the AFP quality bureau reported.

Turmoil

Georgia has been racked by governmental turmoil since Georgian Dream secured a further word successful powerfulness successful October’s parliamentary election.

The absorption continues to quality the results, claiming ballot fraud and Russian interference.

Mass protests broke out, gathering steam erstwhile the authorities announced successful November it was suspending talks connected joining the European Union successful effect to a European Parliament solution rejecting the results of the elections, citing “significant irregularities”.

The protests person continued nightly for much than 200 days, though they person shrunk successful size successful caller months.

Prominent writer arrested

At a protestation extracurricular parliament successful Tbilisi connected Monday night, Georgia’s astir celebrated poet, Zviad Ratiani, was arrested connected charges of assaulting a constabulary officer, quality agencies reported.

He faces up to 7 years successful prison.

Ratiani has been a high-profile fig successful the protestation question and was arrested astatine a protestation past year, spending a week successful situation contempt having superior injuries from assaults successful custody, AFP reported.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies