Opposition leader Gvaramia sentenced to prison after defying parliamentary commission summons

Nika Gvaramia, a leader and co-founder of the Coalition for Change, has been sentenced to prison after repeatedly refusing to appear before Georgia’s Temporary Parliamentary Investigative Commission. The decision was announced on Friday by Judge Jvebe Nachkebia, following a motion from the Prosecutor’s Office to revoke Gvaramia’s bail.

The court ruled in favor of the prosecution’s request to replace bail with pre-trial detention, citing Gvaramia’s ongoing non-compliance with legal requirements. The opposition figure was not present at today’s hearing.

Gvaramia responded on social media, saying "not a single step back! Behind us is our homeland! The oligarchy must fall! Glory to Georgia!"

The investigative commission, established in early 2025 by the ruling Georgian Dream party, is tasked with reviewing alleged crimes and abuses of power committed by political figures dating back to the former President Mikheil Saakashvili era (2003 - 2012), and more recently expanded to cover up to 2024. Its scope includes property rights violations, torture, and events related to the 2008 Russia–Georgia war.

Gvaramia was among several former officials and political leaders - alongside figures such as Nika Melia, Zurab Japaridze, and Irakli Okruashvili - who were summoned by the commission but declined to appear. In a symbolic act of defiance earlier this year, Gvaramia attended a court session carrying a tub of popcorn, stating he had brought it due to diabetes, but also as a gesture to ridicule the process.

He has consistently denounced the commission as unconstitutional and politically motivated, calling it an “illegal instrument” of Georgian Dream and its “informal leader,” Bidzina Ivanishvili. Gvaramia refused to pay the GEL 30,000 bail set by the court, asserting that compliance would amount to collaborating with what he calls a “Russian-aligned regime.”

The Prosecutor’s Office argued that Gvaramia’s continued defiance demonstrated a risk of further non-cooperation and possible obstruction of justice, justifying the request for pre-trial detention.