Former President Salome Zurabishvili condemned the imprisonment of Girchi-More Freedom party leader Zurab Japaridze, calling his case “purely political” and a sign of “direct attacks on political leaders.”
Zurabishvili sharply criticized the day’s court proceedings, stating, “This had nothing to do with justice. It was another shameful day for the Georgian Dream.” She described the trial as a staged process held in a cramped courtroom, closed off from public view, with a predetermined outcome: Japaridze’s pretrial detention.
“This is not justice; it’s a political act,” she said. “Civic activists and public figures are already behind bars for no reason, and now they’re targeting political leaders. The investigation commission was created not to examine crimes of the former regime but to imprison today’s opposition.”
Zurabishvili framed the move as evidence of the ruling party’s growing desperation. “This kind of repression is the mark of a weak regime that has lost its way. All regimes that resort to such tactics are doomed to fall. We need determination, but let’s be clear: today’s verdict is not just about Japaridze — it’s about the Georgian Dream sealing its own fate.”
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