EU Pays $11,500 Bail To Release Georgian Opposition Figure Melia - Mission

The European Union has paid 40,000 Georgian lari ($11,600) in bail for the release of the chairman of Georgia's opposition United National Movement party, Nika Melia, the bloc's delegation to the country said on Saturday

TBILISI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th May, 2021) The European Union has paid 40,000 Georgian lari ($11,600) in bail for the release of the chairman of Georgia's opposition United National Movement party, Nika Melia, the bloc's delegation to the country said on Saturday.

The politician was detained in February for failing to pay 40,000 lari bail imposed after he publicly removed a monitoring bracelet during anti-government protests last November. In response, Georgia's opposition parties and their supporters took to the streets to protest the detention.

"Today, a bail worth 40.000 GEL was posted in order to allow for Mr. Melia's release from pre-trial detention. This follows the understanding reached by the political parties on 19 April 2021 in the context of the EU-mediated agreement," the delegation said in a statement.

The delegation called it "another important step taken to end the political crisis in Georgia and implement the agreement of 19 April."

"We expect this step to further facilitate all elected Members of Parliament to join the agreement and contribute to its implementation, in the interest of Georgia, its citizens, EU-Georgia relations and Georgia's Euro-Atlantic future," the statement read.

Georgia has been in the grip of a political crisis after almost all opposition parties rejected the results of the October parliamentary elections, which reaffirmed the ruling Georgian Dream's control over the legislature, and called for a new vote. It also demanded Melia's release. Prior to this, he was briefly arrested for leading protests back in June 2019 and later released on 30,000 Georgian lari bail.

On April 19, representatives of the Georgian authorities and the opposition publicly signed an agreement proposed by European Council President Charles Michel at the presidential residence in Tbilisi. The five-point document outlines steps to overcome the political crisis, including the initiation of an amnesty law to release all those arrested in the June 2019 protests and citizens detained for political reasons, among other things.