Ex-official Akhalaia’s wife calls detention an attempt to spread fear

Ani Nadareishvili, wife of former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia, has described the ongoing legal case against her husband as a classic example of dictatorship and an attempt to instill fear.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Nadareishvili said that Akhalaia was not formally charged in the presence of a lawyer, although official documents suggest otherwise. 

“All that is happening in Bacho’s case is an attempt to sow fear, so that no one else dares speak out. When people cannot be subdued, their freedom of speech is restricted, and even a phrase can lead to imprisonment,” she said.

The trial is currently underway at the Tbilisi City Court. On 27 March, the prosecution charged Akhalaia under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia for calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and state authorities, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.