PACE rapporteur Julian Bulai calls for release of political prisoners in Georgia

Julian Bulai, head of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) delegation for Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections, has urged the Georgian government to release 53 political prisoners, including media founder and journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who is currently on a hunger strike.

Speaking at PACE’s Winter Session, where he presented a report on the Georgian parliamentary elections, Bulai expressed deep concern over post-election developments, including the ruling Georgian Dream party’s retreat from one of its key campaign promises — advancing the country’s EU integration process.

Bulai highlighted that the events following the November elections raise serious doubts about the legitimacy of the results.

“The post-election situation in Georgia is deeply troubling. The country is veering toward autocracy, and conditions have not improved since these elections. I would like to make two urgent appeals: first, to release the 53 political prisoners in Georgia, including a journalist who has been on hunger strike for 16 days. Second, the developments since November have raised significant questions about the legitimacy of these elections. I encourage this Assembly to support dialogue among all political forces in Georgia to work toward new elections,” Bulai stated.

He emphasized that new elections would grant greater legitimacy to the government and ensure the effective functioning of parliament, fostering cooperation among both ruling and opposition factions.