UNM’s Irakli Pavlenishvili: EPP resolution exposes political persecution of UNM and explicitly demands release of Giorgi Baramidze

“Europe’s largest political grouping, the European People’s Party (EPP), has adopted a major resolution targeting current developments in Georgia and condemning what it terms attempts by the ‘anti-Georgian Ivanishvili regime’ to entrench authoritarian rule,” stated Irakli Pavlenishvili, a senior member of the United National Movement (UNM).

Pavlenishvili noted that the document directly addresses moves to ban opposition parties, focusing specifically on the systematic political persecution aimed at the UNM.

“This resolution details every anti-Georgian, anti-national, and anti-Western action through which Bidzina Ivanishvili is building an authoritarian regime and attempting to cement a dictatorship in this country. It explicitly addresses threats to ban opposition parties, the political witch-hunt against the UNM, and widespread human rights violations. Crucially, it calls outright for the release of Giorgi Baramidze, identifying his detention as politically motivated. This is the first resolution to explicitly highlight Baramidze’s prosecution as a textbook example of political persecution,” Pavlenishvili stated.

He added that the resolution also demands the immediate release of UNM founder and former President Mikheil Saakashvili, alongside all other political prisoners in Georgia.

“The United National Movement is a proud member of the broader EPP political family—a family whose centre-right, Christian-democratic values we fully share. Our path is unequivocally European. Our goal is to strengthen society and statehood through Christian and conservative principles, and we will ultimately achieve this by defeating the Ivanishvili regime at home,” Pavlenishvili said.

The resolution, titled ‘Authoritarian Decline in Georgia’, was submitted by EPP delegates who expressed grave concern over the sharp democratic backsliding, constitutional crisis, and worsening human rights situation in the country.

“We urge the European Union to step up targeted sanctions and other restrictive measures against those responsible for political repression in Georgia,” the EPP document concluded.