Detained businessman Giorgi Chikvaidze, who claims he had been arrested due to controversies with the ruling Georgian Dream authorities, on Thursday announced the end of his hunger strike for seven days after a 30-day protest.
In a social media post, Chikvaidze said the decision was made to eliminate any justification the penitentiary system might use to prevent his attendance at a court hearing scheduled for April 17.
“With this gesture, I want to deprive the penitentiary institution, which operates in alliance with the prosecutor’s office, of any excuse not to ensure my presence at the trial,” Chikvaidze wrote.
He expressed gratitude to those who urged him to end the strike, including the mothers of what he called “prisoners of conscience,” and pledged to use the April 17 hearing to make “significant revelations”.
According to Chikvaidze, he intends to expose alleged coordinated actions between the prosecutor’s office and the judiciary.
“On April 17, I will reveal to you and the prosecutor’s office how you act in concert,” he pledged, directly addressing officials, including judge Iza Kelenjeridze, whom he accused of representing a corrupt judiciary.
Chikvaidze further claimed that her name appeared on a list of individuals allegedly targeted for upcoming Western sanctions.
He also spoke about the toll the hunger strike had taken on his health, stating that parts of his brain related to movement and vision had been affected, while emphasizing that his cognitive faculties remain intact.
Chikvaidze plans to file motions during the hearing, which he says will detail the destruction of evidence and violations of the principle of adversarial proceedings. He also accused officials from the Financial Police Investigation Service, including its head, of committing alleged criminal acts during a so-called special operation tied to his case.
The hearing is set for April 17, which falls on Holy Thursday.
Chikvaidze has indicated that he considers the date symbolically important and promised a “precedent-setting” confrontation in court.
Chikvaidze was initially released on bail after being charged with embezzlement of a significant amount of money. However, on March 11, the court revoked his bail and ordered his pre-trial detention. He subsequently accused the ruling party’s founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Chief Prosecutor Giorgi Gabitashvili of corruption, placing responsibility for his arrest on what he termed the “Russian regime.”
