Girchi More Freedom leader Zurab Japaridze announces he will pay court-imposed bail

Zurab Girchi Japaridze, leader of the Girchi-More Freedom party, announced that he will pay the bail imposed on him by the court.

Zurab Japaridze wrote about this on social media. In his post, Zurab Japaridze explains why he decided to pay the bail.

“There is a tradition of New Year greetings, and I have written such texts myself, but this time it won’t just be a greeting; I have something else to say.

For a week now, the main topic around me has been whether or not I will pay the bail. And for a week, I’ve been telling everyone that I’ll decide at the last moment. I’ve realised that this answer is wrong. People cannot be left in this suspense.

First of all, I want to thank everyone who wrote to me, saw me, or spoke to me on Rustaveli, everyone who offered advice. Special thanks to Zviad Tsetskhladze. Knowing that you think of me and support me from prison means the world to me; I honestly don’t know how to thank you enough.

I have always said that the bail issue is a personal matter for me, and nothing could force me to examine this topic from the angle of political expediency. When the regime forces you to do something solely to break you, and threatens you with prison if you don’t comply, for me, this transcends the boundaries of what is politically right/wrong and becomes a personal matter. This is not even a question of cooperation/non-cooperation with the regime. What matters most to me is not making a decision that will keep me awake at night and render me dysfunctional. Everything else is secondary.

I will pay this bail, but not for the reasons I’ve heard over the past few days. I also want to explain my true motivation.

First, I think the probability of my being locked up again is very high, but I don’t believe that this depends on whether or not I pay the bail. I will not stop. I’m not going anywhere from this country. And the reason for my imprisonment will be this. At the moment, I’d rather be arrested for doing something more significant than not paying bail.

Second, my stubbornness over these years has become, on the one hand, my weakness, and on the other hand, a weapon in the regime’s hands. This stubbornness often makes me overly predictable, which the regime exploits. I couldn’t see this, but a friend made me realise it. I can’t completely remedy this, but when I can, I try not to let this trait be used against me.

And third, and most importantly for me, it’s not only my immediate future that hinges on this decision. The lives of those close to me, their families and children, also depend on what I choose. I do not want my decision to restrict anyone’s freedom or actions. Especially the people I know and am close to, whose families and children I am familiar with. I do not want that responsibility. It would keep me awake at night.

That’s why I’ll pay this bail. And I’m saying this now so that nobody carries anxiety about this topic into the New Year, neither in my family nor in the families of those people who are with me in our common struggle.

I wish everyone a happy New Year! I don’t know what it will be like, but always remember that we are the majority, always remember that they are afraid, always remember that this hell is not ours and our morality is in Avtandil’s testament, always remember that it is only for us to decide whether we will be defeated or not, and always remember that despite the difficulties and sacrifice, our victory is inevitable,” Zurab Japaridze wrote.

On December 22, the Tbilisi City Court imposed non-custodial bail of 30,000 lari on Zurab Girchi Japaridze in the sabotage case. In addition, Japaridze’s identity card and passport were confiscated.