Batumi City Court sentences founder of Batumelebi, Netgazeti to prison

In a statement issued on Thursday, leading MEPs expressed their ‘profound concern regarding the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia.’ The Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister, the Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Sergey Lagodinsky, the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus Nils Ušakovs, the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for Georgia Rasa Juknevičienė and the Chair of the European Parliament’s Election Observation Mission for the 2024 parliamentary elections in Georgia Antonio López-Istúriz White issued the following statement on Thursday.“We express our profound concern regarding the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia. We are shocked by the news that former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia was violently assaulted in a Batumi hotel and afterwards treated in hospital. This is yet another example of the escalating violence orchestrated by the Georgian Dream and its allies against peaceful protesters and dissidents. We stand with the peaceful protesters who for 50 days have been demonstrating every evening in the streets of Georgia for a democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of their country. Georgia was for many years a champion of Euro-Atlantic aspirations with an overwhelming support of the people for this choice. That has not changed. What has changed is that the Georgian Dream has denied Georgians their future and does not even pretend anymore that they want a European democracy for Georgia. The deteriorating situation in Georgia should not stay without a response. We stand by the position that currently President Salome Zourabichvili is the only clearly legitimate representative of the will of the Georgian people. We do not recognise the results of the parliamentary elections on 26 October 2024, as they were fraudulent and did not respect international standards for democratic elections. We do not recognise any decisions taken by this body. We strongly encourage the EU and its Member States to introduce personal sanctions against all those who are responsible for the democratic backsliding, in particular Bidzina Ivanishvili and Irakli Kobakhidze. We encourage individual Member States and relevant regional organisations to avoid actively legitimising the self-appointed Georgian Dream authorities and call in this regard for suspending the EU Georgia Association Council. We urgently call for early elections, conducted in an improved election environment, managed by an independent and impartial election administration with widespread international observation, to ensure a genuinely free, fair and transparent process that would represent the will of the people of Georgia.”

In 2024, Georgian wine was showcased at 24 international exhibitions, 13 festivals, and approximately 100 tasting events involving around 200 Georgian wine companies, the National Wine Agency reported. The agency noted that Georgian wine presentations took place in 20 countries, including the USA, Portugal, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Germany, China, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Hungary, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, and Latvia. “Strategic markets for Georgian wine still are the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Baltic States, China, South Korea, and Japan. Various promotional activities are being carried out in these regions by the National Wine Agency’s partner companies to enhance the global profile of Georgian wine and boost exports. In addition to international events, Georgia hosted wine exhibitions, competitions, tours, and festivals in 2024, contributing significantly to wine tourism development and fostering wine culture among the local population. Across Georgia, 54 wine-related events were held, including 17 exhibitions and festivals, 15 tasting presentations, 16 wine tours with foreign wine professionals, as well as competitions and a symposium. The state program for Georgian wine promotion, aimed at market diversification and increasing export potential, had a budget of GEL 16 million in 2024. Notably, preliminary data indicates that Georgian wine exports grew by 6% compared to 2023, reaching 95 million litres,” the National Wine Agency stated.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said he had ‘an interesting’ meeting with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) monitoring committee members, co-rapporteurs for Georgia, Mr. Claude Kern and Ms. Edite Estrela.“During the meeting, we exchanged meaningful insights and explored opportunities for further collaboration. Our discussion focused on key topics, including our democratic reform agenda and the Council of Europe’s role in Georgia’s European path,” the PM wrote on X.<  

“If Great Britain imposes sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, it will clearly demonstrate that the Deep State has degraded Great Britain to the level of Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, and the European Parliament. Given this state’s historical legacy, it should be regarded as an exceptionally tragic event,” reads the Georgian Dream Political Council’s statement. According to the statement, sanctions are being threatened against the leader of Georgia’s ruling party, who has rescued the nation from authoritarianism and facilitated a democratic breakthrough. “As is known, fourteen deputies in the British House of Commons have submitted an initiative to sanction Bidzina Ivanishvili.“This initiative follows Great Britain’s sanctions against Vakhtang Gomelauri and other high-ranking officials from Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. Georgian society is aware that historically, Great Britain has been a strong, sovereign, and progressive state, a champion of the rule of law and fundamental human rights. It is in England that basic procedural rights emerged, including the right to a fair trial, which mandates a proper hearing and reliable evidence before imposing sanctions on an individual. Shockingly, principles understood in England as far back as the 13th and 17th centuries have been entirely forgotten and trampled by the British government in the 21st century. We remember the five unjust and shameful anti-Georgian resolutions from the European Parliament that called for punishing Bidzina Ivanishvili and releasing criminals. We recall the unjust sanctions imposed by Ukraine on Georgian politicians, public servants, and their families without any supporting facts or evidence. We remember Lithuania and Estonia’s anti-Georgian decisions to sanction politicians and high officials, also lacking any factual basis. It is deeply concerning that a country like Great Britain has been subsided to merely a pawn by the Deep State, the same global war party that has manipulated Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, and the European Parliament. Without any justification, they threaten the leader of Georgia’s ruling party, who has saved the nation from authoritarian rule, initiated a democratic breakthrough, and halted the systemic practice of killing, torture, business racketeering, media seizure, and election fraud in Georgia. He has maintained twelve years of continuous peace and tripled the economy. If Great Britain imposes sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, it will indisputably indicate that the Deep State has degraded Great Britain to the same level as Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, and the European Parliament—an exceptionally tragic event given this nation’s historical past. If sanctions are enacted, Great Britain’s standing as a nation grounded in the rule of law and fundamental human rights will be irrevocably tarnished. Nevertheless, in the context of the Deep State or global war party condemnations leading to the physical destruction of numerous states, Great Britain’s moral decline and degradation is a significantly less tragic occurrence,” reads the Georgian Dream Political Council’s statement.

Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the Gakharia For Georgia party, will be questioned in the coming days concerning the recent Batumi incident, as requested by the investigative body. The party revealed that on January 16, Ministry of Internal Affairs employees conducted an urgent examination of Gakharia’s clothing as part of their inquiry. On January 15, Giorgi Gakharia was attacked in Batumi. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation under Article 126 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to acts of violence.