The United National Movement has condemned the arrest of Zviad Kuprava, a member of its Tbilisi City Council faction, calling the detention further proof that “all red lines have been erased” by the government led by Bidzina Ivanishvili.
The party’s statement accuses what it calls a “Russian gang of traitorous criminals” of continuing political repression and says Kuprava’s arrest is part of a broader campaign to intimidate opponents in the run-up to the planned October 4 rally on Rustaveli Avenue.
UNM warned supporters not to fall for “provocations organized by the government” in the final days before the demonstration and vowed that on October 4 Georgians will gather peacefully to tell what the party calls “Russia’s puppet government” that its rule must end and political prisoners must be freed.
State Security Service officers detained Kuprava after opening proceedings related to a social-media video he posted on September 30 in which, referring to the October 4 rally, he said: “On October 4, we will definitely break through one special operations point out of 500, after which we will get the domino principle and Ivanishvili will fall.”
Authorities say the case concerns public calls for overthrowing state authority and resistance against representatives of power. The arrest was announced at a briefing held by the State Security Service.
The detention comes amid rising tensions between the Georgian authorities and the opposition as the October 4 date approaches. Opposition leaders have framed the rally as a peaceful, legal protest against the government’s crackdown on dissent, while state institutions have increasingly responded with arrests and criminal charges against prominent opposition figures.
UNM and allied groups say the arrests reflect the government’s fear of the mass gathering and amount to an attempt to suppress dissent ahead of a pivotal day of protest.
Kuprava’s arrest revives old flashpoints: he has previously been involved in high-profile clashes with authorities, and critics say repeated prosecutions of opposition activists signal a pattern of using the justice system for political ends.
UNM’s statement reiterated its pledge that the movement will continue to mobilize peacefully and constitutionally, promising that the struggle will end with the release of political prisoners and a return to what it called a united, free, European Georgia.
For now, Kuprava’s detention adds to mounting concern among opposition circles and international monitors about the shrinking space for political dissent in the country.
Image: Zviad Kuprava/1TV
