Canvas Georgia Director Giorgi Meladze was questioned at the Tbilisi City Court within the framework of the investigation launched by the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) over the alleged plotted disorder in the country.

Before the interrogation, Meladze told reporters that the accusation was “absurd,” adding that “propaganda is going on as if these lectures had violent content, which is not true.”

“Today, the government is pushing to adopt another law, restricting the right to freedom of assemblage and manifestation. Everything is obvious; Russian spies got nervous. They are exploiting the name of our organization as a fright, and it is also part of the Russian scheme. Many authoritarian regimes try to scare the free society with the organization,” he said.

Giorgi Meladze explained that Canvas lectures aim to assist individuals to make changes, support democratic reforms, peaceful and non-violent processes, and fair and unforged elections.

“And if this does not happen, how can one behave? What ways can be used to achieve the goals? There are many ways and ideas that we are talking about,” he said.

On October 2, the State Security Service disclosed part of the evidence obtained through a secret investigation into the activities of the USAID-supported Canvas organization representatives, which allegedly involved meetings with NGOs and civil activists to prepare for a revolutionary scenario.