France and Czechia adopt resolutions mentioning Georgia

The French National Assembly and the Czech Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Security separately adopted resolutions mentioning Georgia, focusing on the ongoing protests in the country and the parliamentary elections held in 2024.

Both countries adopted their resolutions on Wednesday.

The French National Assembly called in their resolution for increased support for Ukraine which has been fighting Russian invasion since 2022.

The French resolution was mostly concentrated on the situation in Ukraine, demanding ‘Russia’s immediate cessation of hostilities and withdrawal from Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory’. In connection to this, they also condemned ‘Russian interference in democratic processes in Moldova, Georgia, and Romania’.

The current political crisis comes on the heels of October’s parliamentary elections, which, according to official results, gave Georgian Dream a large majority, with 54% of the vote.

What OC Media observed during Georgia’s election

OC Media collected evidence and first-hand accounts of an array of violations on the Georgian parliamentary election day. On the election day, OC Media dispatched a dozen journalists into several regions of Georgia to monitor the voting and counting process. The following details only the violatio…

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In January, French President Emmanuel Macron, during his speech at the annual conference of French ambassadors at the Élysée Palace, spoke about several foreign policy issues. Among the topics mentioned were Russia’s attempts to destabilise a number of countries, including Georgia.

Macron mentioned Georgia twice: In the first case, he said that in recent years, Russia has accelerated its aggression towards Europeans, adding that it is not a new phenomenon, but that it is clearer and more explicit than before.

In particular, Macron mentioned malign Russian influence in the South Caucasus.

In the second case, Macron addressed the post-election crisis in Georgia and the widespread calls for the new elections.

Georgian Dream criticises Macron, French Embassy following calls for new election

Macron’s comments on Georgian elections sparked outrage from the ruling party.

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In December 2024, French MP Constance Le Grip addressed the country’s Justice Minister, asking if the ministry would be ready to rescind France’s highest award, the Legion of Honour, from Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili in light of the ‘major political crisis’ in Georgia.

In turn, the Czech Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security’s resolution was concentrated ‘on the ongoing protests in Georgia, the constitutional and political crisis following unfair elections, increasing repression, and human rights violations’.

The Czech resolution ‘noted with regret’, that, according to them, systematic arrests and intimidation through physical violence continue.

‘Fifty four individuals are under political investigation, 47 are classified as political prisoners, and hundreds have been detained and tortured by Georgian police. Basic civil liberties are being trampled. Repression against media, NGOs, and opposition forces continues. Government employees face mass dismissals if they do not comply with political demands. Cooperation with foreign partners, including the EU, is being criminalised’, the resolution read.

Following the government’s EU U-turn after the October elections, Georgians across the country have continued to hold daily protests, now for more than 100 days. Human rights activists in Georgia have suggested that more than 400 demonstrators may have been detained during November and December alone — a large number of whom claim that they were subjected to physical or psychological abuse by law enforcement officers.

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Amid police violence, the Georgian government is resorting to a new method to counter the uninterrupted protests — repressive legislation.

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According to the Czech resolution, the Georgian government has failed to investigate cases of violence, torture, arbitrary detention, and threats against protesters and journalists, adding that the rule of law has collapsed under the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The committee also condemned ‘the massive repression in Georgia and the violation of fundamental rights and freedoms’.

The committee called on the Czech government to demand, among other things, the holding of new elections in Georgia as the only way out of the crisis, as well as ‘the release of all political prisoners’ and the expansion of the list of individuals subject to targeted sanctions, including police officers, prosecutors, judges, and propagandists.

In January, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stated that the country had issued a travel ban for three senior officials from the Georgian Interior Ministry in connection to their role in dispersing pro-EU demonstrations.

According to Czech media outlet Novinky.cz, those sanctioned by Czechia are the Head of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department, Zviad Kharazishvili (known as Khareba), who is responsible for managing riot police, his deputy Mirza Kezevadze,  and Vazha Siradze, the Head of the Patrol Police.

Czechia sanctions Georgian police officials

Czechia is the latest country to sanction senior Interior Ministry officials for violently dispersing protests.

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