Never Safe
Listen to Today's Edition:
Georgia’s security service on Wednesday launched an investigation into a plot to assassinate senior politicians from the country’s ruling party, including a former prime minister, amid allegations against the government of democratic backsliding, Politico reported.
The State Security Service of Georgia (SUS) announced it was looking into alleged “terrorist” activities that intended to “overthrow the government.” The plan included the assassination of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Ivanishvili became Georgia’s richest man after building up a fortune in Russia. Now the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, he was prime minister from October 2012 to November 2013, Reuters explained.
Incumbent Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the plot was hatched by unnamed forces that also tried to kill former US President Donald Trump and Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico in the past few weeks, Radio Free Europe reported.
The SUS itself did not name any suspect, but local media reported that at least six people were being questioned, most of whom had fought with Ukrainian forces against Russia.
Georgian authorities have repeatedly targeted nationals who went to support Ukraine’s war efforts. The SUS’s announcement came a day after the court hearing in Tbilisi of a Georgian who fought against Russian troops.
The security agency’s allegations are “absurd delusion and constant conspiracy theory” forged by Ivanishvili to help Georgian Dream win the upcoming national election this fall, said opposition leader Tinatin Bokuchava.
Bokuchava also told local media the reports amounted to “Russian-style propaganda.”
Georgian Dream was accused of regressing on human rights last month after it approved a Moscow-style law allowing the government to label non-governmental organizations receiving funds from abroad as “foreign agents.”
The law led the European Union to freeze negotiations for Georgia to join the bloc.
On Tuesday, Russia’s lower chamber of parliament doubled down on suppressing foreign entities – including state-owned organizations – by allowing them to be declared “undesirable,” Radio Free Europe reported.
Subscribe today and GlobalPost will be in your inbox the next weekday morning
Join us today and pay only $32.95 for an annual subscription, or less than $3 a month for our unique insights into crucial developments on the world stage. It’s by far the best investment you can make to expand your knowledge of the world.