Georgian opposition chief arrested amid political disaster – POLITICO

Georgian police have arrested opposition chief Nikanor Melia, the nation’s ministry of inside affairs mentioned in a statement on Tuesday.

A video printed by the state-owned First TV channel appeared to point out police raiding the United Nationwide Motion’s (UNM) headquarters in Tbilisi to arrest Melia, dispersing occasion workers members with pepper spray. The opposition chief had ensconced himself within the constructing after a court docket ordered his detention over allegations he had breached bail phrases.

The arrest got here after Irakli Garibashvili was sworn in as Georgia’s new prime minister on Monday, following the sudden resignation of his predecessor Giorgi Gakharia final week over Melia’s deliberate detention.

A UNM assertion mentioned the arrest “marks a tragic second for Georgian democracy,” and known as upon the worldwide neighborhood to assist deescalate the state of affairs.

The U.S. embassy, which known as for “restraint” after Gakharia resigned, issued a safety alert for its workers to keep away from potential “violent demonstration exercise.”