"The servile judge, Jvabe Nachkebia, made a decision and declared that fighting in this country is punishable by 7 months," said Elen Khoshtaria, one of the leaders of the "Coalition for Change," commenting on the fact that Zurab Girchi Japaridze, another leader of the coalition, was found guilty by the court for failing to comply with the demands of a parliamentary temporary investigative commission.

Khoshtaria emphasized that everyone must stand together and end the debate about the absurdity of local elections.

"The servile judge, Jvabe Nachkebia, made a decision and declared that fighting in this country is punishable, at this stage, by 7 months. First and foremost, I want to share that we are proud of our leaders, proud of the people who fight the system through non-cooperation and non-recognition. Yes, they face restrictions on their freedom because of this.

We continue the fight here. We will fight with the same principles for which Zura was imprisoned for 7 months. We expect various verdicts; we don’t know what tactics the system will choose or what it will concoct.

I want to call on everyone in the opposition, regardless of our differences on tactical issues. Today is the time for unity, non-cooperation, non-recognition, and fighting together. The only thing the regime fears is principled resolve and standing together. I wish Mamuka Khazaradze, Badri Japaridze, and Giorgi Vashadze not to have to endure imprisonment in their fight, but the main thing is that we all stand together. Let’s end the debate about the absurdity of local elections; under this regime, they don’t exist. Let’s continue the fight together, including with moral conviction," Khoshtaria stated.

For context, Zurab Girchi Japaridze, one of the leaders of the "Coalition for Change," was found guilty by the court for failing to comply with the demands of a parliamentary temporary investigative commission. According to Judge Jvabe Nachkebia’s decision, Japaridze was sentenced to 7 months of imprisonment.

The judge clarified that Japaridze was also banned from holding public office for 2 years. Japaridze did not attend the announcement of the verdict. The judge had postponed the previous hearing to allow for the accused’s final statement, but Japaridze did not appear at the proceedings.