Senator Shaheen condemns Georgian Government's 'crackdown' amid opposition leader arrest

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, has voiced strong concern over the detention of Georgian opposition leader Zurab Japaridzeas 'appalling and unjust,' calling it part of a broader authoritarian trend by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“Actions like this prove, yet again, that Congress should stand with the Georgian people in the face of the Georgian Dream government’s crackdown on democratic institutions,” Shaheen stated.

Japaridze, leader of the More Freedom – Girchi party and a prominent figure in the Coalition for Change, was placed in pre-trial detention on May 22 after Judge Irakli Shvangiradze approved the prosecution’s motion to replace his 20,000 GEL bail with incarceration. The bail had been imposed in April after Japaridze refused to appear before a parliamentary commission — a refusal he described as an act of principle against a politically motivated process.

“This is not about justice — it’s a political case,” Japaridze declared during the hearing. “There is no rational reason why I should be imprisoned. If everyone refuses to participate in this lie, this regime will collapse.”

He is charged under Article 349 of Georgia’s Criminal Code for disobeying a court order, a crime that could carry up to one year in prison. His trial remains ongoing.

The parliamentary commission in question was established by the ruling Georgian Dream party on February 5 to investigate alleged abuses during the United National Movement’s time in power. However, domestic civil society groups and international observers have widely criticized the commission as a political tool designed to intimidate and discredit opposition figures.