Opposition politician warns of ‘attempt to establish dictatorship’ after criminal charges filed against multiple leaders

A senior figure from the United National Movement (UNM), Levan Sanikidze, has accused the Georgian government of attempting to establish a dictatorship by targeting political parties and opposition leaders. His remarks came after the Prosecutor’s Office announced criminal proceedings against several prominent opposition politicians, including former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Speaking to the media, Sanikidze said that political actors were the “first line of attack” in what he described as a systemic effort to suppress democratic freedoms in Georgia.

“This is the main attempt to establish a dictatorship in this country. The first line is political parties and politicians,” Sanikidze said. He warned that further measures could follow, including what he called the violent dispersal of protests, restrictions on free media, pressure on academic institutions, and the elimination of independent business.

Sanikidze argued that Georgia risked slipping into “full-scale isolation,” claiming that Bidzina Ivanishvili - the ruling party’s founder - was preparing to “lock down the country.” He asserted that the government’s actions represented a direct response to the European Commission’s latest report.

According to him, only unity among political parties, civil society, independent media, and citizens who “refuse to live in Ivanishvili’s servitude” could prevent these developments.

The Prosecutor’s Office has launched criminal proceedings against several opposition figures, including Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nikanor Melia, Zurab Girchi Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze, on various charges such as calls to overthrow the constitutional order, sabotage, and assisting hostile activities.