Prosecutor’s Office arrests UNM’s Gia Baramidze on charges of state treason and sabotage

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has arrested Gia Baramidze, a senior leader of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) and former Minister of Internal Affairs and Defence (2003–2004), pursuant to a court warrant on charges of state treason, specifically manifested through sabotage.

Deputy Prosecutor General Amiran Guluashvili made this announcement during an official press briefing, noting that the charges carry a potential penalty of up to four years’ imprisonment.

“As the public is aware, during the broadcast of Iago Khvichia’s author program ‘The Birth of Georgia’ in July this year, Giorgi Baramidze claimed that during the initial stage of the 1992–1993 armed conflict in Abkhazia, representatives of the Georgian armed forces did not take prisoners and executed them on the spot, thereby accusing the Georgian Armed Forces of violating international humanitarian law and committing grave war crimes.

The investigation conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has conclusively ruled out any instances of summary executions of prisoners of war by representatives of the Georgian armed forces or combatants during the armed conflict; a fact that was already well known to both domestic society and the international community and has never been a subject of debate.

Giorgi Baramidze’s claims are entirely fabricated and unsubstantiated. They form part of a targeted campaign of ideological disinformation engineered to undermine Georgia’s national interests, external security, defence capabilities, and state institutions.

Giorgi Baramidze’s statements have harmed Georgia’s international standing and image, creating legal and political risks that could fuel international campaigns and legal proceedings directed against Georgia. His remarks damaged the reputation of the Georgian Defence Forces and tarnished the honour and dignity of veterans and fallen servicemen of the War in Abkhazia.

Furthermore, his actions jeopardised the ongoing process of reconciliation and confidence-building with the conflict-affected population, damaged Georgia’s peaceful de-occupation policy, and disrupted the normal functioning of state agencies, including the Office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality and the mechanisms established under its auspices for confidence-building and cooperation.

Giorgi Baramidze will be formally charged with state treason, specifically sabotage, based on evidence gathered through the investigation, which provides for a penalty of up to four years’ imprisonment. The Prosecutor’s Office will apply to the court within statutory deadlines requesting remand in custody as a measure of restraint.

The investigation into the case is ongoing, and further updates regarding its progress and outcomes will be provided to the public,” the official statement of the Prosecutor’s Office reads.