US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has responded to the recent arrest of the head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party in Georgia Nika Melia and called on political parties in the country ‘to return to negotiations in support of Georgian democracy.’ 

US Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen and Congressmen Adam Kinzinger and Gerry Connolly also called on ‘all political parties’ in Georgia to ‘cease provocations’ and negotiate ‘for a peaceful resolution of this crisis.’ 

The corrupt use of Georgia’s law enforcement and judiciary to execute politically-motivated actions jeopardizes what remains of Georgia’s democracy and its Euro-Atlantic path,” they said in a joint statement released yesteday.

In his address later yesterday the new Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili said that ‘today is not the time for division – it is the time for unification.’ 

We must all unite regardless of our political beliefs and views,” Garibashvili said. 

In his previous statements he said ‘Melia is a criminal and that everyone is equal before the law.’

Melia is charged with incitement to violence during the June 2019 protests and was released on 70,000 GEL bail (40,000 GEL was added to his bail in November 2019 for violation of bail conditions). 

He refused to pay the additional 40,000 GEL and the country’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office demanded his arrest which was allowed by the court last week. 

Melia was arrested yesterday in the headquarters of the UNM party in Tbilisi. 

Opposition took to the street the same day. 

Source - agenda.ge

24 February 2021 / 11:25