United National Movement trial

The United National Movement trial is an ongoing trial in the Constitutional Court of Georgia against the former ruling party, United National Movement (UNM), and two other parties, Ahali and Lelo for Georgia.

The pro-Western United National Movement, which governed the country from 2003 to 2012, has left a controversial legacy in Georgia. Although the government, which came to power through the Rose Revolution, has been lauded by some for rooting out petty corruption and crime, it has also been criticized for cracking down on its opponents, systemically applying torture in prisons, Westernizing Georgia through abusive methods and steering the nation into the war with Russia.

In 2012, then ruling UNM suffered a defeat in the parliamentary elections at hands of the opposition Georgian Dream party. Even though there were some calls to put UNM on trial, the new ruling coalition at first refrained from prosecuting whole party, preferring to investigate its individual members. However, in February 2025, the parliamentary commission was established to investigate the activities of the "former regime". After the commission has finished its work, presenting the 470-page long report, the ruling Georgian Dream party filed a constitutional lawsuit on 28 October 2025, asking the Constitutional Court of Georgia to ban the United National Movement and two other parties, Ahali and Lelo for Georgia, as its successors.

The ruling Georgian Dream officials have presented the lawsuit as a step towards justice and towards recognition of the political and legal responsibility of the "United National Movement regime", comparing it to the Nuremberg trials. Critics have denounced the lawsuit, noting that the move would effectively ban three biggest opposition parties, and therefore would constitute "a step toward authoritarian rule". Moreover, the critics have opined that the lawsuit "weaponizes history with aim of banning opposition". The trial has also been occurring in the context of a thaw of relations between the Georgian government and Russia and the worsened relations with the Western powers.