Ex-PM Gakharia’s party calls charges ‘politically motivated’
Sharashidze pledged despite the legal pressure, the opposition movement would not stop its political activities
Author
Front News Georgia
The opposition political party For Georgia has denounced the criminal charges brought against its leader and former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia, describing the case as politically motivated and driven by the ruling party’s desire for retribution.
Speaking to Front News, Giorgi Sharashidze, one of the party’s leaders, said the accusations against Gakharia - related to the June 2019 protests and the Chorchana checkpoint incident - were expected and reflected what he called “political justice” under “Bidzina Ivanishvili’s control.”
“This is neither new nor unexpected - we anticipated it. The justice system in this country is politically motivated, particularly against Giorgi Gakharia, who is Ivanishvili’s main political rival and the only one capable of defeating Georgian Dream peacefully, through democratic means,” Sharashidze said.
He accused the authorities of using state institutions to persecute opponents, claiming that Gakharia was being prosecuted “for defending Georgian land” through his 2019 decision to establish a police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana, close to the occupation line with Tskhinvali.
“It’s absurd that Gakharia is being charged for protecting Georgia’s territory. This regime, out of revenge, is ready to endanger national security. The Chorchana case effectively gives the occupying power a pretext to question Georgia’s sovereignty,” Sharashidze argued.
He added that despite the legal pressure, the opposition movement would not stop its political activities.
The Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Wednesday that criminal proceedings had been launched against Gakharia over two episodes - the 20–21 June 2019 protest crackdown near Parliament, where police used force against demonstrators, and the Chorchana police post case. Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvaramidze said the former prime minister faces charges including organizing intentional grievous bodily harm and abuse of official authority, offences carrying up to 13 years in prison.
Tags:
