“The absurdity of the Prosecutor’s Office is obvious — it’s a direct fairy tale. Every word of the accusation we’ve heard is a baseless and fabricated lie,” said Tazo Datunashvili, a member of Lelo – Strong Georgia, at a briefing.

According to Datunashvili, the actions of the Prosecutor’s Office represent deliberate political persecution aimed at silencing opposition leaders and dismantling Georgia’s political pluralism.

“This is an attempt to completely eliminate the political spectrum and destroy the political process in the country. The regime is committing a crime against its political opponents. Ivanishvili’s task is once again to imprison Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze to neutralise our struggle against the regime,” Datunashvili stated.

He added that Lelo – Strong Georgia will continue its political and legal resistance despite what he called “absurd and politically motivated charges.”

“No accusation will stop our fight against this Russian regime. Our struggle will end in victory for Georgia and the Georgian people. ‘Lelo – Strong Georgia’ has fought and will continue to fight by all constitutional, legal, and political means to end 200 years of Russian domination in this country once and for all,” Datunashvili emphasised.

Earlier today, Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze announced that criminal prosecution had been launched against several opposition figures — including Mikheil Saakashvili, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nikanor Melia, Zurab Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze.