Tbilisi Protesters Send Open Letter to EU, Vow to Continue Until Elections Held
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Anti-government protesters who have held daily demonstrations on Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue have sent an open letter to the European Union and its member states, pledging to keep protesting until "political prisoners" are freed, Georgia's EU path is restored, and free and fair elections take place.
Rally participants read the letter aloud in Georgian on July 5 in front of the parliament building. The move comes as the daily protests near their 600th day, counting from November 28, 2024, when the Georgian Dream government announced it would not pursue EU integration "until 2028," a month after the disputed October 26 parliamentary elections. That announcement triggered mass protests.
Turnout at the daily demonstrations has thinned over time amid stricter protest-related restrictions, though larger Saturday marches continue in Tbilisi, and smaller daily protests persist in other cities including Kutaisi, Zugdidi, and Batumi.
The letter states that protesters are continuing their action to defend "Georgia's European future, the rule of law, human rights, and the free development of our society." It describes Georgia as an inseparable part of European civilization and points to Article 78 of the Constitution, which enshrines the country's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
It argues that Georgia has been left out of an EU integration process that has benefited Ukraine and Moldova, accusing Georgian Dream of pursuing what it calls a one-party, anti-European, and anti-democratic course. The letter goes on to recount the disputed 2024 elections, the November 28 decision to halt EU accession efforts, which it says violated the Constitution, and what it describes as the resulting crackdown, including protest dispersals and systemic violence. It also references "political prisoners" and "prisoners of conscience."
The letter accuses the government of anti-European propaganda and of discrediting and marginalizing protest participants, claiming that repressive policies are pushing citizens to leave the country. It cites a recent poll showing 71% of Georgians still support EU accession.
"We express gratitude to the international community, the European Union and its institutions, the governments of its member states, their ambassadors, and friendly peoples for the moral and political solidarity they have shown on issues of EU integration and the release of our like-minded individuals detained for political reasons, as a result of which many of them have even become targets of unjust attacks," the letter reads.
It closes with a pledge: "We will stand firm until the very end and continue the struggle until political and conscience prisoners are released, the European and Euro-Atlantic course defined by Georgia's Constitution is restored, and the will of society is expressed through free and fair elections."
