“Deliberately obstructing the activities of state bodies to the detriment of Georgia’s interests constitutes sabotage. Which state agency, institution, or body was obstructed as a result of Gia Baramidze’s appearance on Iago Khvichia’s program and the information he shared there?” — Beka Basilaia, a lawyer for Giorgi Baramidze, one of the leaders of the United National Movement who has been detained on charges of sabotage, said.

According to him, the judge’s decision to order pretrial detention was unlawful and politically motivated.

“We told the court from the very beginning that the judge had come to this courtroom to carry out a political order, and at the end of the proceedings, when we repeated the same thing, the judge agreed with us without saying a word.

There is no basis whatsoever for the charges against Gia Baramidze. Even the statement as interpreted by the Prosecutor’s Office does not constitute the elements of sabotage. In other words, even if a person were to accept the prosecution’s interpretation as the truth, it still would not constitute a criminal offense. Accordingly, there are no grounds for imposing a preventive measure either.

It is Bidzina Ivanishvili’s statement that harms Georgia’s interests when he says that we are guilty and should apologize to the Abkhaz and Ossetians. It is Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement that harms Georgia’s interests when he says that we shelled Tskhinvali with artillery on the seventh and that this was followed by the entry of Russian forces. It is statements by Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that harm Georgia’s interests when he says that Georgia’s supreme commander-in-chief started the war on Georgian territory. The conclusions of Tsulukiani’s ‘Commission on Treason’ harm Georgia’s national interests by accusing the Georgian state of starting a war on its own territory.

As for Gia Baramidze’s statement concerning events that took place 30–35 years ago, which he subsequently explained in detail — that we did not execute prisoners or people who were ready to surrender, but simply that, during the initial phase of the war, the objective was not to take prisoners and the hostilities developed in such a way that we did not have prisoners — from a criminal-law perspective, this does not constitute sabotage against Georgia’s national interests.

Deliberately obstructing the activities of state bodies to the detriment of Georgia’s interests constitutes sabotage. Which state agency, institution, or body was obstructed as a result of Gia Baramidze’s appearance on Iago Khvichia’s program and the information he shared there?

Gia Baramidze did not say, ‘We executed prisoners.’ When you use the word ‘execution’ in a context where prisoners are mentioned, it sounds very bad, and not only the regime’s propaganda tried to exploit this; many good people who are patriots of this country also found it very disturbing. That is why Gia gave a lengthy explanation, detailing that he was not talking about executing captured prisoners or people ready to surrender. Rather, the hostilities were unfolding in such a way that taking prisoners was not planned at the initial stage, especially by units that were, by their very nature, territorial defense forces.

As for the reconciliation process, what exactly was damaged? Until Gia’s statement, were Abkhaz separatists and extensions of the occupation regime moving toward us? Had they not been killing people like Giga Otkhozoria? Had they not been undermining everything Georgian? Had they not prohibited the teaching of the Georgian language? Had they not been discriminating against Georgians? Did they kill Otkhozoria and begin banning the Georgian language only after Gia’s statement? Tell me one Abkhaz person who said, ‘I was ready to shake hands with Georgians and restore trust, but after hearing Gia, I withdrew my hand.’

Do you know what insulting the Georgian army really is? It is when, in this case, they presented testimony containing all kinds of filth and lies aimed at devaluing Gia Baramidze’s participation in the war in Abkhazia, even though there are numerous video recordings of Georgian men and heroes of this country who spoke about Gia during the war in Abkhazia. Were any of them questioned? Moreover, there is footage showing direct clashes and the sound of bullets, where Gia Baramidze is present alongside Georgian fighters. Were any of them questioned?

Georgia’s courts, of course, carry out every order from Bidzina Ivanishvili. Accordingly, we have no expectation that the decision will be changed by the Court of Appeals. However, because we have entered the formal procedural stage, we will naturally use every available legal mechanism,” Beka Basilaia said.

For reference, Giorgi Baramidze, one of the leaders of the United National Movement, was arrested on charges of treason against the homeland, specifically sabotage. He has already been ordered into pretrial detention.

The case concerns a statement made by Baramidze about the war in Abkhazia, specifically his claim that “during the initial stage of the 1992–1993 armed conflict in Abkhazia, members of the Georgian armed forces did not take prisoners and executed them on the spot.”

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, his statement damaged the reputation of Georgia’s Defense Forces and undermined the honor and dignity of veterans who participated in the Abkhazia war and deceased military personnel. At the same time, Giorgi Baramidze’s actions allegedly threatened the process of reconciliation and confidence-building with populations affected by the conflict, harmed Georgia’s peacebuilding and de-occupation policy, and obstructed the normal functioning of state institutions, including the activities of the Office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality and the effective functioning of mechanisms established by the office for confidence-building and cooperation.

The charge carries a sentence of up to four years’ imprisonment.