Prosecutors charge opposition leader Khoshtaria over damage to ruling party banners

Georgian prosecutors have charged opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria with deliberately damaging property after banners belonging to the ruling Georgian Dream party were vandalised in Tbilisi.

The Prosecutor’s Office said on Tuesday, an investigation by the Interior Ministry had found that on 14 September Khoshtaria damaged three campaign banners on the party’s election headquarters, causing property damage estimated at 570 GEL.

She was detained on 15 September and formally charged under Article 187 (1) of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which covers intentional damage to another person’s property causing significant harm. The offence carries a potential prison sentence of one to five years.

Prosecutors said they would ask the court to impose a preventive measure against Khoshtaria within the timeframe set by law.