EDS Statement on the Raid of UNM's Party Headquarters and the Arrest of Nika Melia

Nika Melia, Chair of Georgia's largest opposition party, has been detained in a violent raid involving hundreds of police and special forces. The UNM party headquarters were stormed despite more than one thousand people having been peacefully gathered inside the building to express their solidarity and to protect the party leader from unlawful detention. Pepper spray and tear gas were used by the police. Law enforcement brutality compelled party members to leave the building, after which special forces gained unlimited access to party documentations, hard drives, and private information.

We, the European Democrat Students, reiterate the EPP’s call to stop the persecution of opponents, de-escalate the situation, and resume dialogue, all in order to appease Georgia’s political crisis. We invite all member organisations to support UNYM, an organisation who is part of the EDS family, and condemn this unlawful move by immediately calling for Mr. Melia’s release.