Trial of opposition leaders ‘unprecedented’, leader Badri Japaridze

Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of Lelo - Strong Georgia, has described the trial involving several Georgian opposition leaders as unprecedented and questioned the credibility of testimony given by police officers.

“There has never been a trial of this kind in any country. It is unprecedented in global practice,” Japaridze said.

He described the case as a “trial of gestures”, saying several police officers had testified that they had seen certain gestures but could not recall what the gestures were, when they occurred or even the date of the events.

“I regret that police officers can be reduced to such a level and made to give such disgraceful false testimony, which could not in itself form the basis for criminal prosecution even if it were true,” Japaridze said.

Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office launched criminal proceedings in November 2025 against former President Mikheil Saakashvili and opposition figures Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Zurab Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze.