“The accused is given a closing statement to defend himself. I have nothing to defend. I believe I stand on the right side,” declared Paata Burchuladze, defendant in the October 4 case, during his closing address at trial.

Burchuladze stated that he sees his place as being either on Rustaveli Avenue or behind bars.

“Your Honour, do you imagine that had I wished it, I could not have become a member of Georgian Dream’s parliament and secured a prominent position? The current members of Georgian Dream were not even a twinkle in anyone’s eye when Ivanishvili was approaching me by various means, attempting to draw me into politics alongside him. But then, as now, I believed, and I continue to believe, that Georgian Dream is ruinous for Georgia and must be removed as swiftly as possible. These two great and ‘impartial’ prosecutors did not utter a single word about why the people gathered on October 4. They failed to notice the National Assembly of Georgia and its declaration, to which hundreds of thousands of people gave their voice in unison. But they did notice the dismantling of a battered, wobbling fence that nobody needed, and for seven months they could not even pin that on the citizens, because Nodar Meladze and his team of investigative journalists put paid to that story too.

As for myself, after the so-called seven-month investigation, for seven months, these two ‘honourable’ prosecutors have done nothing but sever me entirely from my family, not once speaking with my wife, my children, or my grandchildren. I shall say nothing of friends. During this period, I witnessed with my own eyes police officers acting as false witnesses, the sort I had previously only seen on television, and whose wretchedness I can now confirm at first hand. I came to know and befriend patriotic citizens of Georgia whom the treacherous regime could not break. I became convinced that this protest will not die out.

The Georgian people, who love freedom and independence, will not surrender, and they will prevail. Unintentionally, I discovered who the prosecutor handling my case is; suddenly, everything became clear. My thanks again to Nodar Meladze for that. Speaking from my own example: throughout my entire life, I have done whatever my homeland needed at any given moment, an artistic career, philanthropy, the building of a church, and even politics. As early as the 2016 elections, I founded a party and dedicated myself to helping the Georgian people recognise and understand the serious threat posed by Georgian Dream. Regrettably, I did not manage that last part well enough.

The result speaks for itself; at what a pace our country is degenerating. Currently, I see my place either on Rustaveli or in prison. Both are fronts in the battle against these traitors. I am convinced that recognisable figures such as myself, however comfortable our circumstances, must stand at the forefront and set an example in the fight to defend our homeland. The will of the people must be made plain, and politicians must carry out that will.

Your Honour, given my age, one must suppose that these two ‘greatly esteemed’ prosecutors have placed before you, in the form of Article 225 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, my obituary for your signature. They are certain that I am a threat to their well-ordered lives, and they know that you think so too. Know this and remember it well: whatever happens to me is of no consequence. Georgia will never surrender, and each one of you will inevitably answer before the people. The people are wise and patriotic. That rabble of state traitors which has today seized power will vanish like a terrible nightmare, and the skies will clear again over all of Georgia,” Paata Burchuladze declared.