The case of eight Georgian opposition leaders has reached court.

The Tbilisi City Court has accepted for consideration the so-called sabotage case brought against Mikheil Saakashvili, Nika Melia, Nika Gvaramia, Zurab Japaridze, Giorgi Vashadze, Badri Japaridze, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Elene Khoshtaria. Three of the defendants face up to 15 years in prison.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on November 6, the Georgian Prosecutor General's Office announced an investigation into crimes against the state, naming among the suspects the third president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, one of the leaders of the opposition "Coalition for Change," Nika Melia, and six other opposition leaders 1 . In the sabotage case, they are accused of organizing protests after the 2024 elections, hostile activity against Georgia, and calls for the overthrow of the government. Zurab Japaridze was given bail of 30,000 lari (approximately $11,000) in this case, and the politician has stated his intention to pay it. Tbilisi City Court set bail of the same amount at the end of January for Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the Strategy Agmashenebeli party.

At today's hearing, the Tbilisi City Court accepted for consideration the merits of the criminal case against eight opposition politicians, known as the "sabotage case." Judge Valerian Bugianishvili ruled that all evidence obtained by the prosecution was admissible, Interpressnews reports.

Mikheil Saakashvili has been charged with calling for violent change of the constitutional order of Georgia or the overthrow of state power (Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia) and faces up to three years in prison. Zurab Japaridze and Giorgi Vashadze are charged with sabotage and assisting a foreign state in hostile activities (Part 1 of Article 318 and Article 319 of the Criminal Code of Georgia) and each faces seven to 15 years in prison. Elena Khoshtaria faces the same charges, plus a charge of providing material means for the commission of a crime (Part 1 of Article 318, Article 319, and Part 1 of Article 321 of the Criminal Code of Georgia); she could also face up to 15 years in prison.

The remaining four defendants in the case—Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze—are charged only under sabotage (Part 1 of Article 318 of the Georgian Criminal Code), Pirveli TV reports.

Giorgi Vashadze recalled that in 2022, the opposition held several large rallies: first to demand that Georgia apply for EU candidate status, and then to demand that the European Commission's recommendations be implemented.

"The prosecutor's office is accusing us of non-existent crimes due to cooperation with foreign countries. In these materials, the prosecutor's office is falsely presenting the circumstances of the incident. How did the political crisis begin? We asked the government to apply for membership in the European Union... Membership in the European Union is enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia; it is explicitly stated in Article 78. I was obliged to do everything possible to ensure Georgia could become a member of the European Union," he explained.

According to the politician, the prosecutor's office concealed the fact that he had approached representatives of the parliamentary majority and proposed an action plan to Kobakhidze and Papuashvili. "I told them we would act in the interests of our country and proposed joint visits to EU countries. We encountered cynicism from the majority; they failed to comply with a single article. Again, we created working groups in parliament to gain candidate status. In response, we received: 'No, we will do nothing and will not carry out a single reform.' After that, we launched a signature campaign—is that sabotage? Government representatives adopted a 'Russian law' for this purpose—that's sabotage!" the politician stated.

With this process, Georgian Dream wants to gather all opposition leaders together to report to the party's founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, but the ruling party's main goal is to sever all ties and contacts between the country and the West, according to Zurab Japaridze.

"Over these years, no one has seen a single image of me, let alone calling for violence, or even insulting anyone. When the fighting in Ukraine ends—and it will end someday—Georgia will be weakened, easy prey for Russia. A Georgia without defense, security, or Western friends will have no one to speak out when Russia absorbs us, as it has done for the past two centuries," he said after the court hearing.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces have violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over 1,000 people have been subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia".