Jailed opposition leaders in Georgia have written to the British foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, warning of what they consider to be the growing links between their country’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, and Iran.
The seven politicians, writing from prisons in Rustavi, a city in south-east Georgia about 12 miles (20km) from the capital, Tbilisi, have alerted London to what they say is an “unprecedented expansion” of Iranian influence.
They call on Cooper to impose sanctions on those allegedly building ties with Iran and the “owners of propaganda outlets” in Georgia, including those “reportedly based in London” who pushed Georgian government messages.
Earlier this month, the Guardian reported on Hunnewell Partners, a Knightsbridge-based company that owns Imedi TV, the most popular broadcaster in Georgia, which has been accused by the EU of being a “megaphone” for pro-government propaganda.
Writing to Cooper, the jailed politicians say: “We … respectfully urge you to consider extending sanctions to these individuals, their entities, and their family members, to ensure they can no longer enjoy the benefits of the UK’s democratic society while working to erode it.”
A spokesperson for Imedi TV said: “Imedi TV is an independent broadcaster that is broadly supportive of the government but which also favours vigorous political debate.
“Being sympathetic to Georgian Dream is not a crime. In Georgia, there are numerous channels expressing every political view. Attempts to suppress Imedi TV, and to invoke international support for that, are antidemocratic.”
The spokesperson added that the broadcaster “strongly reject the unfounded allegation that Imedi TV is a propaganda outlet. We take pride in our commitment to truthful reporting.”
Georgian Dream, led by Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been accused of realigning the country with Russia’s interests and pushing it towards autocracy.
A host of opposition leaders have been imprisoned before October’s local elections, including the liberal leader Elene Khoshtaria, for writing “Russian Dream” on a campaign poster for the Tbilisi mayor, Kakha Kaladze, of the Georgian Dream party.
The jailed politicians write that they have been incarcerated by “the Russia-backed regime of Georgian Dream” and the ruling party is also building links with Tehran.
They say evidence for this claim includes the “expression of solidarity” offered by Aleksandre Khvtisiashvili, Georgia’s deputy foreign minister, at Iran’s embassy after US strikes on nuclear infrastructure.
The letter also cites the visit of the prime minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, to Tehran, where he “stood alongside leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah as chants of ‘Death to America’ echoed”.
The signatories of the letter to Cooper include Zurab Japaridze, the leader of the libertarian Girchi–More Freedom party and a former United National Movement (UNM) politician, who was sentenced in December to seven months in jail for refusing to appear before a commission investigating the alleged crimes of the UNM.
The jailed politicians write: “Over recent years, Georgian Dream and its patron, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, have consolidated control over all state institutions, achieving full state capture and steadily dismantling the democratic constitutional order.
“Currently, there are more political prisoners per capita in Georgia (over 60) than in Russia; more than 500 peaceful demonstrators from the recent protests were brutally beaten, including many who suffered broken facial bones; and civil society is under attack through draconian laws that mimic Russian practices and aim to completely destroy it. This is a frontal assault … Equally alarming is the unprecedented expansion of Iranian influence.”
The UK government has implemented sanctions against Georgian judges and politicians, and this month it announced further measures “targeting Georgia-linked supporters of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine”. These included the politician and media mogul Levan Vasadze “for using his platforms to pump out pro-Russian disinformation”.
The imprisoned politicians write: “The United Kingdom has already shown leadership by sanctioning members of Georgian Dream’s repressive apparatus – measures that had real impact and were deeply appreciated by our people.
“Yet we are concerned that key enablers of Georgian Dream – including business allies, family members of Mr Ivanishvili, and owners of propaganda outlets that, according to credible reports, spread Russian-scripted disinformation even targeting the UK – still continue to benefit from the UK’s financial system, with some operations reportedly based in London.”
Imedi TV denied spreading disinformation or being pro-Russian, describing the claim as “a ridiculous and unsupported accusation and categorically denied”.
The Georgian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Georgian Dream claims to be pro-European and Atlanticist in its policies, but argues that the US and Brussels have been seeking to pull Georgia into the war in Ukraine.
