Opposition figure Gulu Mammadli stated that the arrest of Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was expected, but the reasons go beyond simple criticism of the authorities. According to Mammadli, Karimli's publications in major Western media have increased his political significance and visibility abroad, which has caused concern among the Azerbaijani authorities.
Citizens of Georgia initiated a petition demanding to impose sanctions on the country's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili for his "pro-Russian position". In an appeal to the US Ambassador, the authors noted that they do not support the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
“We, the people of Georgia, firmly support the cause of Ukraine. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about our government, which does not even hide its anti-Western rhetoric. Our authorities are blocking all paths to the European future of Georgia, leaving our children with the bleak prospect of a Russian quagmire,” the document says. The authors of the petition note that the Prime Minister's son Nikoloz Garibashvili will begin his studies at the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) in the United States this year. However, this has nothing to do with a shared belief in European or American values or a genuine desire for knowledge.
The conclusion of the petition states that in 2012 events developed in such a way that the Georgian Dream party came to power in Georgia - as it turned out later, in fact, pro-Russian in its essence.