Georgia launches new criminal prosecution of Saakashvili and seven other oppositionists

Georgia has launched criminal prosecution of eight oppositionists under articles on sabotage and calls for the overthrow of the government, some of whom are already in custody. This was reported by Echo of the Caucasus.

On November 6, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia informed about the beginning of criminal prosecution of eight opposition politicians – the former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili as well as Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Zurab Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuki Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze.

Georgia's Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze said that the case was opened jointly by the Prosecutor's Office, the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the facts of "crimes against the state – sabotage, assistance to hostile activities of a foreign state, financing of actions against the constitutional order and national security, as well as on charges of calling for the overthrow of the government."

According to him, allegedly after the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, "while the Georgian government chose to maintain peace and refused to impose economic sanctions against Russia," some opposition party leaders allegedly passed information on oil imports and the situation in the Georgian military sector to representatives of foreign states.

The investigation claims that they disseminated "false information that Georgia's airspace was being used to supply Iranian drones to Russia."

In addition, according to the prosecutor's office, Khoshtaria, Japaridze and Vashadze passed lists of officials and other documents to foreign partners to impose sanctions against Georgian citizens.

Gvarakidze claims that after the 2024 parliamentary elections, the seven opposition leaders "began to call for the radicalization of street protests, revolution, overthrow of the government, blocking of government buildings and resistance to law enforcement."

And Saakashvili, according to the investigation, using his social media pages and video messages, publicly called on supporters to "fight and aggressive resistance," as well as to seize government buildings and "overthrow the regime."

• On June 13, 2025, it was reported that the third leader of the Georgian opposition party association Coalition for Change, Gvaramia.
• Prior to that, three politicians were arrested in a similar case, including two are leaders of the Coalition for Change. We are talking about Melia and Japaridze.