Opposition parties have issued a joint statement regarding the court ruling on Nika Melia, the chairman of the United National Movement.

"Today's decision by the Georgian Dream Government to arrest United National Movement Chairman Nika Melia marks a dramatic escalation in political repression in Georgia. After Georgian Dream violated a March 8, 2020, agreement by not releasing all political prisoners and by launching new politically motivated cases during the 2020 electoral campaign, the ruling party now persecutes the chairman of the largest opposition party and keeps cases against other political, media and civic leaders in the queue. For a country still occupied in part by Russia, it is remarkable and symbolic that Mr. Melia is prosecuted for an absurd and fabricated case connected to the protests that erupted in Tbilisi on June 20, 2019, after Georgian Dream invited Sergey Gavrilov, a Communist Member of the Russian Duma, to chair a session in the Georgian Parliament. All opposition parties stand peacefully in solidarity with Mr. Melia and UNM in resisting Georgian Dream's obvious push toward full-blown authoritarianism", - reads the statement.

The statement is signed by the follwong parties and politicians:

United National Movement

European Georgia

Labour Party

Lelo For Georgia

Strategy Agmashenebeli

More Freedom - Girchi

Victorious Georgia

United Georgia — Democratic Movement

Republican Party

Christian-Democratic Movement

Christian Conservative Party

New Christian Democrats

For Justice

Tribuna

National Democratic Party

Movement - State For People

European Democrats

Law and Justice

Civic Alliance For Freedom

Free Democrats

Elene Khoshtaria

Shalva Shavgulidze

Source: IPN