Ruling party cannot defeat idea of European Georgia, UNM leader

A senior figure from the opposition Unity- National Movement has accused the Georgian government of pursuing “brutal, Russian-style” legislation in a bid to suppress pro-European political forces.

Levan Bezhashvili said the authorities had failed to eliminate what he called the United National Movement’s core principles - patriotism, a successful Georgian state and a European future - and were therefore resorting to legal measures targeting the opposition.

“They could not kill the idea… so they had to adopt such brutal legislative changes in a Russian style,” he told reporters.

Bezhashvili added that he did not believe the Constitutional Court served as an independent arbiter, and insisted that any ruling against his party would be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.

His comments follow a submission by Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, who has filed a constitutional claim seeking to declare the activities of the United National Movement, the Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia - Lelo unconstitutional and ban them.