Overview

• Zurab Japaridze, leader of the Coalition for Change, was placed in pre-trial detention for refusing to appear at a parliamentary inquiry into alleged crimes during Mikheil Saakashvili's presidency.
• The ruling Georgian Dream party has faced accusations of using the inquiry as a propaganda tool to silence opposition voices.
• Japaridze, a prominent critic of the government, had previously refused to pay bail and denounced the process as politically motivated.
• The detention follows a broader government effort to suppress dissent, including new restrictive laws and backlash over alleged election fraud in 2024.
• Critics warn of Georgia's shift toward authoritarianism and closer ties to Russia, as the government delays EU accession talks until 2028.