“Zurab Japaridze, who enjoys great popularity — especially among the youth — and plays a crucial role in the protest movement, has naturally become a special target for Bidzina Ivanishvili,” said Tina Bokuchava, Chair of Unity – National Movement, in an interview with Interpressnews regarding Japaridze’s ongoing trial.

Bokuchava expressed hope that “such actions by the regime will serve as a wake-up call for some opposition leaders who still look skeptically at the idea of opposition unity.”

“Unfortunately, both my expectation and Zura’s is that we cannot rule out that this so-called court — which has in fact become a bastion of injustice — will decide to impose pre-trial detention. One of the goals of Tea Tsulukiani’s so-called ‘Treason Commission’ is to rewrite Georgia’s modern history in a Russian version. But alongside that, it also aims to intimidate the public, carry out repressions, and persecute political opponents. And Zurab Japaridze, who is highly popular, particularly among young people, and who plays a key role in the protest movement, has of course become a special target for Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Bokuchava stated.

“Like myself, Zurab Japaridze has always advocated for opposition unity. We have always believed — and still believe — that the real solution lies in unity, and that the shortest path to defeating the regime is through uniting the efforts of the opposition. Perhaps such actions by the regime will become a kind of wake-up call for certain opposition leaders who still remain skeptical of unifying forces,” Bokuchava added.