U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chair of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, released a joint statement on political developments in Georgia.

“We are deeply concerned by recent political developments in Georgia. The people of Georgia deserve to have rule of law, democracy, and an honest and independent judiciary,” they said in the statement.

According to the U.S. Senators, all political parties should return to the negotiating table to de-escalate the political atmosphere.

“Over the past several years, we have raised the problem of political prosecutions with Georgian officials many times. While we are glad to see that opposition leader Nika Melia’s detention has been cancelled, such political prosecutions and arrests should never take place.

All sides of the political spectrum must now return to the negotiating table and de-escalate the political atmosphere. We hope this political crisis will come to an end quickly and peacefully”, reads the statement.

Tbilisi City Court ordered the pre-trial detention for Nika Melia, Chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party, on February 17 following the lifting of his parliamentary immunity. The Ministry of Interior of Georgia suspended the enforcement of the court ruling following Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s resignation.