Dito Chubinidze: I am a prisoner of war of the Ivanishvili regime, and this is an act of state violence against my free professional activities as a professor and journalist

"I am a prisoner of war of the Ivanishvili regime; this is an act of state violence directed against my free professional activities as a professor and a journalist," stated Dito Chubinidze—a journalist for Asaval-Dasavali, who was arrested on charges of sabotage—during the court hearing.

He added that he is neither a "dangerous individual" nor someone who would "go into hiding."

"I have not betrayed my homeland, nor have I committed any act of sabotage. An occupying army from a foreign country is stationed near Tbilisi, and I could not possibly destroy any evidence—because I cannot destroy an occupying army that has invaded the territory of Georgia. This is the fact I discussed during my interview with Lazare Jorbenadze.

All my subsequent statements were based on the reality described by my interviewee during our newspaper interview.

I am neither a dangerous man nor someone who hides. I will emerge from this court exonerated; let me state once again: I am a prisoner of war held by the Ivanishvili regime. This is an act of state violence directed against my professional activities as a professor and a journalist," declared Dito Chubinidze.