"Politically, such repressions are always a sign of weakness; this is the beginning of the end," stated Georgia’s fifth President, Salome Zurabishvili, to journalists at the office of "Lelo – Strong Georgia" after a judge sentenced Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze to 8 months in prison each for failing to appear before a parliamentary temporary investigative commission.

As Zurabishvili noted, this regime has reached a stage where nothing can save it.

"Politically, such repressions are always a sign of weakness; this is the beginning of the end. We must all remain resolute, as Mamuka and Badri are. We spoke at length together, and they are full of determination, as they will continue to be. We know we need a bit of patience, but this regime has reached a stage where nothing can save it. We will have a plan; our response to repression will be our collective plan, and you will have full information about it when the time comes. Today is the time for us all to stand together here and express solidarity with them. Society must also express solidarity with all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. They are fighting for our country today. We hadn’t had such examples before, but today we have young people and politicians as examples.

I plan to make statements this evening, together with other partners, specifically addressing our partners. This week is one of the busiest, not only due to the events involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S., but also because the NATO session begins tomorrow. At the end of this week, there is the European Council meeting. This is the moment when our issue must not be forgotten by anyone," Zurabishvili stated.

For context, the leaders of "Lelo – Strong Georgia," Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, were found guilty by the court for failing to comply with the demands of a parliamentary temporary investigative commission. By the decision of Judge Zviad Sharadze, they were each sentenced to 8 months in prison and banned from holding public office for 2 years. Earlier today, a verdict was also announced in the case of Zurab Girchi Japaridze, one of the leaders of the "Coalition for Change." He was sentenced to 7 months in prison for failing to comply with the demands of the investigative commission and was also banned from holding public office for 2 years.