“It is the logical continuation of building an evil dictatorship that Ivanishvili has now directly threatened the political spectrum with criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and rotting in jail — effectively taking politics hostage,” said Tazo Datunashvili, a member of Lelo – For Strong Georgia, commenting on the Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to initiate criminal proceedings against opposition politicians, including Lelo leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, on charges of sabotage, aiding hostile activity, and incitement to overthrow the government.

According to Datunashvili, Bidzina Ivanishvili “has resorted to a method well-practiced in Moscow.”

“I will not engage in speculation about what kind of direct legal connection the Georgian Dream may try to fabricate. Of course, everything is a lie, a farce. Whatever they imagine in their fevered minds, they can try to connect anything to everything. The process of banning political parties in the Constitutional Court has become a public joke. Every attempt by Ivanishvili to establish this evil dictatorship has turned into a farce. Naturally, the logical continuation of that is to threaten the political spectrum with criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and decay in prison — to take politics hostage.

In my opinion, this is the logical political continuation of the PR fiasco that the ruling party suffered with the lawsuit to ban political parties in the Constitutional Court. The public did not accept it. The public did not take this absurdity, this madness seriously — because it is unserious. Ivanishvili has now turned to a method well-tested in Moscow: when legal methods and PR attacks don’t work, move on to imprisonment, captivity, torture, and the physical destruction of people,” said Datunashvili.

For reference, the Prosecutor’s Office has launched criminal proceedings against Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nikanor Melia, Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze.

According to the Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvaramidze, Mikheil Saakashvili is charged under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia — for calls to change the constitutional order or overthrow state authority by force. Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze and Giorgi Vashadze are charged under Articles 318(1) and 319 — for sabotage and aiding hostile activities for a foreign country. Elene Khoshtaria is charged under Articles 318(1), 319, and 321¹(1) — for sabotage, providing material resources for such crimes, and aiding hostile activities for a foreign country. Nika Gvaramia, Nikanor Melia, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze are charged under Article 318(1) — for sabotage.

The Prosecutor’s Office has requested bail as a preventive measure for Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, while for the other defendants it will appeal to the court within the legal timeframe to set the date for a pre-trial hearing.