Jailed Georgian politicians allege links between ruling party and Iran in letter to UK
Jailed Georgian politicians allege links between ruling party and Iran in letter to UK
Exclusive: Imprisoned opposition leaders call on foreign secretary to impose sanctions over ‘unprecedented expansion’ of Iranian influence
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.
