The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has charged five opposition members with calling for a coup during the October 4 elections, the agency announced. They face up to nine years in prison.
Charges have been brought against opera singer Paata Burchuladze, leaders of the opposition United National Movement party Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze, Secretary General of Strategy Agmashenebeli Paata Manjgaladze, and former head of the Georgian mission in Afghanistan and former deputy chief of the General Staff of the country’s armed forces Lasha Beridze.
According to the prosecutor’s office, several days before the elections, opposition members publicly called on the public to support the overthrow of the government, which would involve aggressive citizens. On election day, the opposition members led protesters from Freedom Square in Tbilisi (the site of the protest) to the presidential administration building with the aim of seizing it. The protesters destroyed municipal and private property, set up barricades, and threw stones and heavy objects at police officers.
Protests in Tbilisi began on the evening of October 4. Fourteen police officers were injured in the clashes. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has opened a criminal investigation into attacks on police officers, calls for violent change of government, property damage, and an attempt to seize a strategic facility.
