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A plot to assassinate top officials in Georgia’s ruling party has been uncovered, the country’s security services alleged Wednesday, amid growing concerns over the future of democracy in the South Caucasus nation.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the State Security Service of Georgia said it had opened an investigation into “the preparation of a terrorist attack and conspiracy to overthrow the government of the state.”
The plan, it claimed, had been hatched by former government officials, likely referring to those who served under the previous government.
According to the agency, one target was Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire business tycoon and former prime minister who founded the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Several Georgians who had travelled to Ukraine to fight with the armed forces and defend the country against Russia’s invasion have been detained for questioning as part of the investigation, local media reported.
Mamuka Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian Legion fighting in Ukraine, told independent Russian outlet The Insider on Sunday that around 300 people from his unit have been added to the wanted list in their home country.
Pro-government outlets, meanwhile, said a legal case is ongoing, without presenting evidence for the allegations.
The embattled Georgian Dream government has faced accusations it is backsliding on human rights and political freedoms, introducing a new Russian-style law that will brand Western-backed NGOs as foreign agents and violently dispersing protesters.
The country’s candidacy of the EU has been frozen as a result of the row.
Georgia is set for nationwide parliamentary elections in October. Ivanishvili himself has vowed to punish the opposition following the vote, and has built his campaign around anti-Western, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
This story has been updated.
