Police in Georgia detained Nika Melia, a prominent opposition politician, on Thursday, his party confirmed. Melia, a key figure in the pro-European Coalition for Change, faces accusations of insulting law enforcement officers.
This marks the second high-profile detention of an opposition leader in recent days. Last week, a Georgian court ordered Zurab Japaridze, another leader of the Coalition for Change, into pre-trial detention after he refused to appear before a parliamentary inquiry. The inquiry concerns alleged crimes under former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is currently imprisoned.
Several opposition figures have rejected the hearings, calling the inquiry illegitimate. Critics accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of adopting authoritarian tactics, aligning closer with Moscow, and undermining Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union—a goal enshrined in the country’s constitution. The government denies these allegations.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze postponed EU accession talks until 2028, reigniting public unrest. Protests had previously erupted in 2023 and 2024 after the government passed the controversial "Foreign Influence Law", which requires NGOs receiving foreign funding to register as "organizations carrying the interests of a foreign power." Opponents liken it to Russia’s repressive legislation.
Georgia severed diplomatic ties with Russia after Moscow supported separatists in two breakaway regions in 2008.
MEP Rasa Juknevičienė condemned Melia’s arrest, warning that Georgia’s political climate is deteriorating. "Just now, another Georgian opposition leader, Nika Melia, was arrested on the street. A week ago – Zurab Japaridze. The situation in Georgia is getting worse. EU and Member states must act!" she wrote on X.
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that Melia was detained under Article 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code, which penalizes verbal abuse or offensive actions against law enforcement. He is expected to face court proceedings.
Melia’s lawyer, Giorgi Kondakhishvili, called the arrest unlawful, alleging that police "abducted" Melia ahead of a scheduled court hearing. "This is an arbitrary act beyond legal frameworks," he said, demanding Melia’s presence in court to address the alleged misconduct during his detention.
The case has intensified scrutiny on Georgia’s democratic trajectory, with opposition leaders and international observers warning of escalating repression.