UNM: case against member Zviad Kuprava is politically motivated

A senior official from Georgia's opposition United National Movement has described the criminal case against party member Zviad Kuprava as politically motivated, as a court prepares to deliver a verdict.

Speaking outside the Tbilisi City Court, Deputy Secretary General of the United National Movement Irakli Pavlenishvili said Kuprava had been prosecuted for exercising his right to free expression.

“Zviad Kuprava is a political prisoner who has been detained because of his free speech. By no legal standard did he commit a crime. His Facebook Live broadcast posed no threat to anyone or to the interests of the state,” Pavlenishvili said.

He further alleged that the prosecution forms part of a broader campaign by Bidzina Ivanishvili against political opponents.

“This is Bidzina Ivanishvili's whim - to arrest everyone fighting for freedom, including many members of the United National Movement. Kuprava became one of them because he opposed Ivanishvili's regime,” Pavlenishvili said.

Proceedings in Kuprava's case are currently underway at Tbilisi City Court, where a verdict could be announced during Thursday's hearing.

Kuprava, a member of the Tbilisi City Assembly representing the United National Movement, has been charged under Article 317 of Georgia's Criminal Code with publicly calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order and resisting a public official. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of between two and five years.