On 22 May, Judge Irakli Shvangiradze of the Tbilisi City Court changed the preventive measure (bail of 20,000 GEL, approximately 7,300 USD) against Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the “Girchi – More Freedom” party and the Coalition for Change, to imprisonment. He was arrested right in the courtroom.
Zurab Dzhaparidze is accused of not fulfilling the requirement of the temporary investigative commission of the parliament. For this on 16 April Judge Nana Shamatava set his bail in the amount of GEL 20 thousand. Japaridze refused to pay the bail on principle.
He is charged under Article 349 of the Criminal Code, which refers to “failure to fulfil the requirement of the temporary investigative commission of the Georgian Parliament”. This is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to one year.
“If everyone refuses to participate in the lies, this regime will collapse,” Japaridze said before the court hearing.
According to the prosecutor’s office, there was a risk of re-offending or fleeing from justice because “he (Dzhaparidze – ed.) deliberately fails to fulfil the duty imposed on him by the court decision, ignores the law, and does not comply with the conditions of bail.”
A large number of police officers were mobilised near the Tbilisi City Court before and during the hearing.
After the 26 October parliamentary elections, mass protests initiated by the largest opposition forces began in Georgia. They demand new parliamentary elections and the resumption of negotiations on Georgia’s EU membership, halted since 28 November at the initiative of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.