Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department will take steps to support (a) the freedom of expression and (b) civil society in Georgia.

I remain deeply concerned by the Georgian Dream government's increasing repression of opposition voices, civil society, and independent media. On 11 July in coordination with European partners, the Foreign Secretary condemned politically motivated detentions of opposition politicians. I have repeatedly called out repressive legislation targeting Civil society and peaceful protesters. We have downgraded our bilateral cooperation and are considering all other options available to us. We urge Georgian Dream to reverse course and engage in inclusive national dialogue with all stakeholders in Georgia's future.