Davit Matikashvili: The radicals want to stage a spectacle as if someone is persecuted in Georgia – if someone wants to avoid imprisonment, he should act legally

The radicals want to stage a spectacle and once again give their patrons a reason to talk about completely unjust and out-of-context topics, as if someone is persecuted in Georgia - this is a completely conscious decision on their part, - the chairman of the parliamentary committee on procedural issues and rules, Davit Matikashvili, said in response to a question regarding the arrest of opposition politician Zurab Girchi Japaridze.

According to him, if someone wants to avoid imprisonment, then "they should act legally."

As Matikashvili notes, the imposition of imprisonment is not persecution, but the fulfillment of a provision of the law.

"The representatives of the radical opposition knew exactly that there is a legislative provision that says that when you do not comply with a court decision on the imposition of bail, the court replaces this type of preventive measure with a relatively strict preventive measure. This is a legal provision and the radicals knew and are very aware of this, just like recently, in relation to Irakli Okruashvili, the preventive measure was changed for this very reason with pre-trial detention. In other words, what kind of situation are we facing?! This is a completely conscious decision and desire of the radicals to put on some kind of spectacle, to once again give their masters the grounds, to talk about completely unfair and out-of-context topics, as if someone is persecuted in Georgia and to deceive the public as if there is some kind of persecution of someone here. There is really no persecution, this is the law. The law must be followed and if someone wants to avoid such an action in a legal state, they must act legally," Matikashvili said.

For information, the 20,000-GEL bail imposed on Zurab Girchi Japaridze, a member of the Coalition for Change, was replaced with pre-trial detention. The decision was made by Tbilisi City Court Judge Irakli Shvangiradze, thus granting the prosecutor's motion. Zurab Japaridze was handcuffed in the courtroom.