OSCE report signals growing pressure on Georgian government, ex-Pres Saakashvili

Georgia’s former president Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday said a report published under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Moscow Mechanism increased pressure on the current authorities in Georgia.

Writing on social media on Friday, Saakashvili said the findings undermined what he described as attempts by the ruling Georgian Dream party and its founder Bidzina Ivanishvili to improve their image in the eyes of Western partners.

“The OSCE’s special conclusion under the Moscow Mechanism finally puts an end to attempts by Ivanishvili and his distorted puppets to polish their image before the West,” he wrote.

Saakashvili also argued that the mechanism had previously been used in relation to countries such as Russia and Belarus, which he said had received what he described as a “final diagnosis” following its activation.

He added that international pressure and domestic political mobilisation were both increasing.

“In short, the democratic world is consolidating from the outside and the opposition from within. Dark clouds are gathering over the dictator, and hopefully thunder will soon follow,” Saakashvili wrote.

Responding to those questioning the practical impact of the report, the former president said international documents alone would not lead to change without public action.

The OSCE report examines developments in Georgia since the spring of 2024 in relation to human rights and fundamental freedoms and includes a series of recommendations.