Giorgi Sioridze: The criticism toward business is fair. Khazaradze and Japaridze were partners for them; they have supported many. Those who remain silent must understand that what is happening is also their responsibility — there is no such thing as staying neutral!

We view the local self-government elections as an additional front in the struggle, which will lead us toward our common goal, – said Giorgi Sioridze, a representative of “Lelo – For Strong Georgia,” during Palitra News’s program “Dgis Newsroom.”

According to him, in parallel with this, Lelo – For Strong Georgia maintains its demand for new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners.

“When we were discussing the local self-government elections, the counterargument from those opposed was that if the opposition participated in the elections, it would allow Ivanishvili to normalize the situation. Now the question is — under current circumstances, when practically every coalition or party leader is in prison and will still be in prison on October 4, how can the situation be considered normalized if these parties participate in elections? In which international report, or even in public perception within the country, could this be seen as normalization when the leaders are behind bars?

Now more than ever, the reasoning behind our struggle has gained importance. We’ve said all along that these two things — elections and the political struggle — are not alternatives to each other. We demand new parliamentary elections and the release of prisoners of conscience. And now, we are especially demanding the release of opposition leaders. We view the local self-government elections as an additional front in the struggle that will bring us to our common goal,” said Sioridze.

Regarding the question of what Lelo – For Strong Georgia will do if a united opposition front cannot be formed — whether they’ll run independently or not participate at all — Sioridze said the current focus is unity, and decisions will be made later if unity is not achieved.

“We are showing that for us, neither party identity nor infrastructure is the priority — the struggle is what matters. If unity is not achieved, and once every effort has been exhausted, only then will we make the necessary decision. It would not be right to speak firmly about that now, given the political process we’ve proposed. Doing so would harm the goals we’re currently pursuing under the existing status quo,” said Sioridze.

Speaking on the arrests of opposition politicians — including the court’s recent ruling to detain Givi Targamadze — Sioridze stated that Georgian Dream continues to expand the list of political prisoners in the country.

“The announced chronology of arrests continues. Even with the naked eye, it’s easy to see they’re following some kind of list. It’s not even a matter of whether the arrest has formal legal grounds. There’s a list of politicians, and the government is gradually expanding the number of political prisoners in this country.

Just yesterday, we met with representatives of diplomatic missions and discussed these issues — mainly the politically motivated cases of Khazaradze and Japaridze — but the situation is identical for every politician arrested under the same charges. We’ve seen how charges were intensified against Okruashvili and Melia, and we expect the same will happen to other politicians as well,” he said.

Sioridze also emphasized that Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze are “personal prisoners of Ivanishvili,” adding that they remain in strong spirits despite being detained.

“Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze are both absolutely strong. They are in fighting spirits, just as they were when they entered prison. All the political prisoners are in solitary cells, with no possibility of communicating with each other — not during breaks or under any other conditions.

The fight can continue even from prison. When you give up your freedom, you inspire those outside to fight even harder. That’s how resistance is built — it’s one form of political struggle. It may be extreme, but this Russian-style regime and the dangerous opponent we now face in Georgia demand extreme measures,” said Sioridze.

As for the silence of the business sector regarding the arrests of Khazaradze and Japaridze, Sioridze said it's the result of the system created by Bidzina Ivanishvili, which holds businesses in a grip.

“When there is a crisis in the country — including a moral one — those who remain silent or neutral must understand that they also bear responsibility. There is no such thing as standing in the middle, no such thing as staying still. This also applies to citizens who believe they can stay neutral in the current situation and have their own private space where nothing will reach them. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. That has never been the case in any moment of history during a crisis like this.

Khazaradze and Japaridze are first and foremost politicians now — they left business a long time ago. But because of what they did for this country through business, they were partners and role models for many in the business sector. If they’ve supported many, then a moral question arises for those in business: how can they remain silent? That’s why this criticism is completely justified,” Sioridze concluded.