ALDE Adopts Resolution Backing Georgian Protesters, Calls for Sanctions on Ivanishvili Regime
By Messenger Staff
Monday, July 6, 2026
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe has adopted a resolution on Georgia at its congress in Vienna, according to information distributed by the party Droa, which is present at the gathering. The resolution is titled "Supporting the Georgian People's Struggle for Democracy Against Authoritarian Captivity and Alliance with Russia."
In it, ALDE says that while the wider region is increasingly breaking free of Russian influence, Bidzina Ivanishvili's regime has turned Georgia into "Russia's last stronghold and satellite in Eastern Europe," accusing it of deliberately cutting ties with the democratic world and dismantling the country's democratic gains.
The party says it recognizes the "unwavering courage, determination, and loyalty" of the Georgian people in pursuing EU membership, stating plainly that Georgia will become a member state of the European Union.
ALDE also raised a number of concerns, including the deterioration of democracy and the erosion of independent state institutions in the country. It pointed to recent politically motivated arrests targeting protest participants, students, and medical professionals, naming doctor Giorgi Chakhunashvili among those affected.
The resolution also flagged the detention of prominent political figures linked to ALDE-affiliated parties, including Elene Khoshtaria, whose health the party said is rapidly deteriorating and requires immediate attention, as well as Paata Manjgaladze, Secretary General of Strategy Aghmashenebeli. More broadly, ALDE said leaders of parties associated with it in Georgia are being systematically targeted, either through unlawful detention or the prospect of politically motivated criminal charges in the coming months.
The party called on EU leaders and European states to take a series of steps in response. These include adopting a clear, uncompromising policy toward the Ivanishvili regime, imposing immediate targeted personal sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations, democratic backsliding, and political repression, and activating financial sanctions against people who enable the regime along with its financing and support networks.
ALDE also demanded that Georgian authorities provide Khoshtaria with adequate and systematic medical treatment and called for the immediate release of all political prisoners. It urged European states to use all available diplomatic, political, and economic tools to show solidarity with the Georgian people, while drawing a clear line between the regime and ordinary citizens by opposing any blanket suspension of the visa-free regime in favor of targeted sanctions against those responsible for repression.
The resolution closes by condemning the ongoing annexation of Georgia's sovereign territories and what it calls attempts to incorporate the occupied Tskhinvali region and South Ossetia.
Several Georgian opposition figures took part in the congress alongside Droa. Strategy Aghmashenebeli leader Giorgi Vashadze, who was also a candidate for ALDE vice president at the event, said it was important that Georgian citizens not be punished for the actions of Georgian Dream. Grigol Gegelia of Lelo said ALDE understood that Georgians were defending freedom, democracy, and a European future. Khoshtaria, Droa's jailed leader, was represented symbolically at the congress by an empty chair draped with a Georgian flag, and an audio message from her was played for attendees, in which she said Russia wants both Europe and the Georgian people to fail.
Girchi - More Freedom chairman Zurab Japaridze also addressed the ALDE Congress. "We have a state that has been seized by a billionaire," he said. "Over the past few years, especially after the 2024 parliamentary elections, we have seen constant attacks on civil society. A few civil organizations remain that are still partially functioning. We do not have a civil organization that is fully functioning, and this is due to the lack of resources."
Japaridze said this is a direct result of laws passed by the government that block organizations from receiving funding from abroad, pointing to what he called the "so-called Russian law," a "direct copy" of Russia's own legislation, along with a separate law requiring government permission for any grant from outside the country. He added that independent, critical media outlets are facing similar pressure. "Unfortunately, the majority of Georgia's population still receives news from television channels," he said, noting that only two national broadcasters remain, and that both are struggling financially.
He also described what he called constant attacks on protesters. "We have daily protest rallies in several cities, including the capital Tbilisi. Numerous laws have been adopted against demonstrators," he said. "You can be fined just for standing in the street, or you can be arrested for standing on the sidewalk. This is now a criminal offense; you can be sentenced to 1 year of imprisonment for standing on the sidewalk."
Japaridze said opposition parties are facing a parallel campaign, with authorities attempting to ban political groups that took part in the 2024 elections. "Political leaders are being arrested. We were in prison. Elene Khoshtaria is still in prison," he said. "Those of us who are outside prison have new charges brought against us. This is the reality in which we live."
