Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the opposition party Droa, announced she will neither defend herself nor appear in court, urging supporters not to attend her hearings.
“I refuse to defend myself, I refuse to appear in court, and I ask everyone not to worry or come,” Khoshtaria wrote on Facebook following her September 15 detention on charges of damaging another person’s property.
Khoshtaria claimed that taking part in what she called a “farce” would be unacceptable. She described her experience in the detention center, where an official presented the charges against her:
“Today, a ‘trustworthy man’ entered the detention centre, with a carefully shaved beard and tidy appearance. I greeted him, but within minutes he transformed into a symbol of the Russian system. He proceeded to read me the ‘charges,’ and the very sound of these accusations made me want to laugh. He believed he was doing something serious, but I put an end to this spectacle.”
Khoshtaria stressed that even minimal engagement with the case would legitimize what she views as lies and deception. “It is a matter of self-respect. To discuss the ‘size of a stain on a banner’ is meaningless, and I will not participate,” she said.
Expressing gratitude to her lawyer, Shota Tutberidze, for his support, Khoshtaria reaffirmed her decision: “I am committed to the end.”
Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Droa party, was arrested on September 15 on charges of damaging the election campaign banner of Tbilisi mayor and Georgian Dream candidate Kakha Kaladze. The authorities claimed she deliberately defaced the banner, an act treated as property damage under Georgian law. Khoshtaria, however, dismisses the charges as politically motivated and has called the entire process a “farce.”
