Georgia-EU Tensions Escalate Amid Human Rights Concerns

Tbilisi, Georgia – July 18, 2025 – Relations between Georgia and the European Union have reached a critical juncture, marked by escalating rhetoric from Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze regarding EU demands and the recent arrests of individuals attempting to smuggle radioactive uranium. The EU has indicated it will send a formal letter to Tbilisi, potentially setting a deadline for compliance with conditions to avoid the suspension of Georgia's visa-free travel regime to the Schengen area.

The relationship between Tbilisi and Brussels has significantly deteriorated since Georgia obtained EU candidate status in 2023. This decline is largely attributed to various legislative actions by the ruling "Georgian Dream" party, which critics argue weaken the country's democratic institutions and contradict EU values. Key points of contention include the adoption of a "foreign agents law" targeting Western-funded media and NGOs, and a "law prohibiting LGBT propaganda."

The EU's recommendations to Georgia focus on human rights, including the repeal of laws targeting civil society and sexual minorities, alignment with the EU's visa policy, and strengthening anti-corruption measures. The EU had previously abolished the visa regime for Georgian citizens in 2017.

On July 17, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze publicly dismissed the European Commission's letter as "empty political ultimatums." Speaking to journalists, he firmly defended the controversial laws, stating they are "vital for national interests."

Kobakhidze also expressed strong disapproval of how the EU is being portrayed in Georgia, asserting, "It is unacceptable for the EU to be presented to Georgian society as a new Soviet Union. Unfortunately, these ultimatums create such an impression. In Soviet times, orders also came from Moscow, and those who did not comply were punished. What is the difference between Brussels and Moscow?"

Responding directly to the threat of visa-free regime suspension, Kobakhidze declared, "If the question is whether you choose peace and stability or the visa-free regime, we will, without a doubt, choose peace and stability. This is the choice of the Georgian people. We are precisely being put before such a choice."

Meanwhile, on July 15, Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, confirmed that the EU would send a letter setting a deadline for Georgia to meet "certain conditions." She also announced that a new package of sanctions, including two judges, would be unveiled due to "excessively harsh" penalties imposed on peaceful protesters in Georgia. Kallas acknowledged that additional sanctions require the unanimous consent of member states, making their adoption challenging.

The human rights concerns highlighted by the EU are underscored by cases such as the ongoing detention of Mzia Amaglobeli, the director of "Batumelebi" and "Netgazeti." Amaglobeli testified in Batumi City Court on July 17, detailing her January arrest and alleging severe mistreatment by Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze.

Amaglobeli was initially detained on January 11 after placing a nationwide strike call sticker on a fence in front of a police station, protesting the arrest of a colleague. She was re-arrested shortly after her release, accused of assaulting a police officer after slapping Dgebuadze during a heated exchange. If convicted, she faces up to seven years in prison.

During her testimony, Amaglobeli recounted being surrounded by masked police officers, pushed, and trampled. She also alleged that Dgebuadze spat in her face and ordered his officers to deny her access to water and the toilet, saying, "No, no water, no toilet, let her wet herself." She described the treatment as "inhumane."

A video of Amaglobeli's arrest, shown during a May hearing, reportedly shows Dgebuadze insulting and threatening her, saying, "I swear, I will arrest her under the criminal [code] [...] I will her mother..." Dgebuadze later admitted the voice was "similar" to his and that he might have used indecent language to "describe the fact," but did not confirm Amaglobeli's specific allegations of mistreatment.

Amaglobeli's case has drawn widespread condemnation from critics both within Georgia and internationally, including representatives from the EU, Denmark, France, Sweden, Estonia, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the International Press Institute (IPI), who attended her court session. "Georgian Dream" officials, including Prime Minister Kobakhidze, have suggested Amaglobeli acted on premeditated instructions to discredit the police, a claim her lawyers have denied and for which they announced a defamation lawsuit against the Prime Minister.

Adding to Georgia's challenges, the State Security Service (SSG) announced on July 17 the arrest of two individuals in Batumi for attempting to sell an undisclosed amount of radioactive uranium for $3 million. The SSG characterized the case as a "transnational crime," identifying one detainee as a Georgian national and the other as a foreign citizen.

The agency stated that the levels of radioactive alpha and gamma emissions indicated the uranium could be used "for the production of various explosive devices to carry out a terrorist act or to cause other serious, massive, and deadly consequences." The suspects face five to ten years imprisonment under the Georgian Criminal Code for illegal handling of nuclear material.

This incident highlights a persistent issue in Georgia, where radioactive material smuggling has been prevalent since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Previous arrests include two Georgian citizens in 2019 attempting to sell 40 grams of radioactive uranium for $2.8 million, and six individuals (three Georgian, three Armenian) in 2016 attempting to sell 1.6 kilograms of Uranium-2 for $200 million.

The coming weeks will be crucial for EU-Georgia relations as Tbilisi faces a potential deadline for compliance with EU recommendations. Prime Minister Kobakhidze's defiant stance on "peace and stability" over the visa-free regime underscores the deep ideological divide. Simultaneously, the ongoing human rights concerns, exemplified by the Amaglobeli case, and the recent uranium smuggling arrests, add layers of complexity to Georgia's international standing and internal stability.