State Security Service: UNM opposition leader Kuprava arrested for calls to overthrow Gov’t

The Georgian State Security Service on Wednesday announced Zviad Kuprava, the leader of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition and a member of Tbilisi City Assembly, had been detained for recent calls to “peacefully” overthrow the Georgian Dream government during the October 4 rally, coinciding with the country’s municipal vote. 

Lasha Maghradze, the Service’s First Deputy Head, said Kuprava had been arrested for a video address he published on Facebook on Tuesday. Authorities accuse him of making public calls for the overthrow of state power.

“He published a video where he called on citizens to disrupt the 4 October elections and overthrow the state authority. To disguise the criminal nature of his call and avoid responsibility, he referred to the elections as a ‘Russian special operation,’ the polling station as a ‘special operation point,’ and the state authority as ‘Ivanishvili’ [Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chair of the ruling party] - which, naturally, does not rule out the criminality of the act under the Criminal Code,” Maghradze said.

The State Security Service noted that on 4 October, when local elections are set to be held in Georgia, the UNM plans to pursue the “peaceful overthrow” of the government, with a rally also announced outside the Parliament building.

Kuprava’s arrest follows the earlier detention of UNM’s Political Council Chair, Levan Khabeishvili, who was taken into custody on 11 September on similar charges of calling for the overthrow of the government in public statements.