Int’l community sees new elections, release of political prisoners as path out of crisis, opposition leader

Tina Bokuchava, Chairwoman of Georgia’s opposition United National Movement, has said the international community viewed the release of “political prisoners” arrested during pro-European protests and the holding of new, free parliamentary elections as the only way out of Georgia’s current political crisis.

Speaking in response to the ongoing debate on Georgia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Bokuchava said the Assembly's attention was further evidence of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s “growing isolation” on the international stage.

“Today’s debate is yet another proof that the ‘Russian Dream’ remains in international isolation,” she said, using a term critics employ to describe the government. “This is the result of the efforts of Georgian democratic forces, and most importantly, the protest of the Georgian people.”

Bokuchava emphasised that the central demand voiced during the debate was the “unconditional release of all political prisoners” and the “organisation of new, fair parliamentary elections.” She added that the demands were reflected in the PACE resolution and aligned with what the international community considered the only viable resolution to the country’s deepening political crisis.