A U.S. deputy assistant secretary met Georgian officials and opposition as reset plans move forward, while Amnesty says police arrests over 2024 protests are far too late.
Subscription The News in Brief Prepared by Messenger Staff Monday, May 11, 2026 U.S.. Deputy Assistant Secretary Visits Tbilisi for Reset Talks U.S.. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter visited Tbilisi this week, meeting with Georgian Dream officials and opposition figures as both sides work to rebuild a relationship strained since late 2024.. Coulter met Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on May 7, where Kobakhidze “reaffirmed the readiness of the Georgian government to
reset bilateral relations from a clean slate with a specific roadmap focused on tangible results.” Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, who attended and held a separate meeting with Coulter on May 8, said Tbilisi expects “another delegation” at the end of May to discuss cooperation in greater detail.. Coulter also met Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, with talks focusing on energy, transport, and Georgia’s role in the Middle Corridor.. On May 8, Coulter and Acting
U.S.. Ambassador Alan Purcell met opposition leaders from the nine-party Opposition Alliance, the Lelo/Strong Georgia coalition, and ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party.. Giorgi Vashadze said the opposition conveyed a “very clear message” that “strong Georgia needs strong friends in the form of America and Europe.” Federalists’ leader Giga Bokeria argued Georgia needs “a government that serves not the power and money of one man, Bidzina Ivanishvili, but the citizens of Georgia.” Amnesty International: Five
Police Arrests Over 2024 Protest Crackdown Fall Far Short Amnesty International said the arrest of five law enforcement officers over attacks on protesters in Georgia is a step that comes 17 months too late and does not go nearly far enough.. Denis Krivosheev, the organization’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said Amnesty has documented dozens of cases of unlawful use of force, alleged torture, and severe injuries, including broken bones inflicted on
people exercising their rights to free expression and peaceful assembly, with hundreds of protesters reporting such treatment.. “Accountability for the widespread abusive use of force by police against peaceful protesters, journalists, and government critics during the crackdown on protests since 2024 cannot end with the recent arrest of five law enforcement officers, already 17 months late,” Krivosheev said.. “These five arrests alone do little to change the broader picture of impunity in Georgia, or the
fact that dozens of cases of torture and other ill-treatment remain without effective investigation.” Krivosheev called on the Prosecutor General to extend the investigation to all those suspected of responsibility, including those who gave orders and those who failed to prevent human rights violations.. “It is imperative that there is accountability across the entire chain of command, and for all reported cases of unlawful police conduct,” he said.. Copyright © 2007 The Messenger.. All rights
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U.S. Georgia relations, Tbilisi reset talks, Sonata Coulter, 2024 protest crackdown, Amnesty International, police accountability