Giorgi Rukhadze: Giorgi Gakharia is a victim of Ivanishvili’s personal vendetta, while other politicians are victims of his policies – there is no judiciary in Georgia, it’s simply ‘Ivanishvili’s shop’

"If Zura Japaridze is guilty, then Khazaradze, [Badri] Japaridze, Gvaramia, and everyone who took this step are guilty too, and they should all be sent to prison with the same sentence. If this isn’t happening, it once again proves that there is no judiciary in Georgia, and it’s simply Ivanishvili’s shop," said Giorgi Rukhadze, founder of the Strategic Analysis Center, on PalitraNews’s program Day’s Newsroom. He was responding to the Tbilisi City Court’s decision against Zurab Japaridze, a leader of the "Coalition for Change," who was sentenced to 7 months in prison for failing to comply with an investigative commission’s demands and banned from holding public office for 2 years.

According to Rukhadze, "today, Zura Japaridze is freer in his cell than Ivanishvili, sitting in his gold and silver."

"[Refusing to cooperate with the investigative commission] is not a crime; it’s a political decision. In reality, this regime is committing a crime by imprisoning people for this, and so is Judge Jvabe Nachkebia or whoever else. If this is a ‘crime,’ then everyone committed it equally, except for Giorgi Gakharia. In the opposition spectrum, only Giorgi Gakharia appeared before the commission; the rest refused. Whether they paid bail or not is a matter of easing or not easing preventive measures. Whether a person is guilty is a completely different issue. Therefore, if Zura Japaridze is guilty, then Khazaradze, Japaridze, Gvaramia, and everyone who took this step with the same motive—regardless of the reason—are guilty. Then they should all be sent to prison with the same sentence. I don’t want anyone to go to prison, but if this isn’t happening, it once again proves that there is no judiciary in Georgia, and it’s simply Ivanishvili’s shop," Rukhadze stated.

Rukhadze expressed solidarity with Japaridze and noted that people are being punished for their ability to uphold their principles.

"Today, Zura Japaridze is freer in his cell than Ivanishvili, sitting in his gold and silver, and his entourage combined. People who have dignity and principles and can defend those principles are punished, and this will continue until tyranny is defeated in this country," Rukhadze said.

Additionally, Rukhadze commented on the investigative commission’s refusal to allow Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the "For Georgia" party, to participate remotely in a session. According to Rukhadze, Giorgi Gakharia is "a victim of Ivanishvili’s personal vendetta."

"With regard to Giorgi Gakharia, things are different. I am convinced that Giorgi Gakharia is a victim of Ivanishvili’s personal vendetta, while other politicians are victims of Ivanishvili’s policies. In reality, he has no other path; repression is Ivanishvili’s policy today.

If they arrest Gakharia, it won’t be because he didn’t appear before the commission—he did appear. They’ll arrest him for ‘betraying the country,’ ‘dragging the country into war,’ or something like that. The second issue is cozying up to the Russians. We must not forget what they are prosecuting Gakharia for or what they will prosecute him for. It’s because he protected Georgia’s interests, didn’t back down, and established a checkpoint in Chorchana. If someone asked me, this was the only correct decision regarding the occupation line, and occupation in general, that Ivanishvili’s regime has ever made. This was the only principled decision, and it’s precisely for this that they are prosecuting Gakharia. This is Ivanishvili’s personal vendetta and his cozying up to the Kremlin. In my opinion, Gakharia made a huge mistake by cooperating with this commission," Rukhadze noted.

According to Giorgi Rukhadze, the claim that Giorgi Gakharia single-handedly decided to establish the checkpoint in Chorchana is "nonsense and an attempt to fabricate a case."

"I hope that before Gakharia’s fate ends in prison, Ivanishvili’s fate will be prison. I have no desire for anyone to end up in prison, except for representatives of this regime, who deserve prison and worse," Rukhadze said.

Rukhadze also discussed ongoing developments in the Middle East, particularly the involvement of the United States in the Iran-Israel conflict. According to him, "America has actively returned to global politics."

"America has supported one of its main and strategic partners in a very important and existential battle. Everyone sees that America and Israel, and Russia and Iran, are strategic partners. The question should be posed this way: whose strategic partner is Georgia? Today, unfortunately, due to the ‘Georgian Dream’ regime, Georgia is a partner of Iran and Russia. Therefore, if Iran and Russia are fighting America and Israel today, who is Georgia fighting? Whose side is it on? And what fate awaits it if it remains on the side of Russia and Iran? This needs to be realized, including by supporters and obedient followers of ‘Georgian Dream.’ Every dictatorial regime must learn a lesson that ‘black swans’ will come, and things end at some point...

I hope that Israel and the U.S. will see this operation through to the end. Iran will no longer have nuclear ambitions or the capability to pursue them. Naturally, this will make the Middle East and the world much safer. However, the operation doesn’t end here; it may continue and conclude with the collapse of the ‘Ayatollah’ regime in Iran, or it may not. In any case, Iran’s current government will be much weaker in the future, with significantly reduced ambitions. It will no longer have the means to finance and support terrorism, Hezbollah, Hamas, and so on—groups that have been destabilizing the region. This is the minimum outcome, in my opinion. The second is that Iran will no longer be the kind of friend and partner to Russia that it has been until now, because, in reality, Russia has abandoned Iran today. Russia needs Iran in its war against Ukraine, and it will face greater difficulties than it does now. This is also a signal to Russia’s ‘partners,’" Rukhadze stated.