Opponents want to keep October 4 protesters in prison, Adjara Supreme Council chair

Adjara Supreme Council Chairman Tsotne Ananidze has responded to criticism of opposition leader Murtaz Zodelava and Lasha Beridze by Shukri Burchuladze, the son of jailed opposition leader opera singer Paata Burchuladze.

Burchuladze had criticised Zodelava and Beridze for seeking plea agreements in the October 4 case, saying that “leaders” should not abandon those who remained in prison.

Responding on social media Tuesday, Ananidze said the criticism was aimed at keeping those arrested during protests in prison in order to sustain the opposition outside prison.

“They need those arrested at the rally to remain in prison so that the opposition can ‘exist virtually’ outside. That is why they portray those seeking plea deals as the guilty ones,” Ananidze wrote.

Zodelava and Beridze are among those convicted in connection with the October 4 unrest and have sought plea agreements with the prosecution. Their requests have triggered debate among opposition figures and their supporters over whether accepting plea deals represents a strategic decision or a retreat from political resistance.