United Neutral Georgia’s Nikolaishvili: Our statement relies on public support; investigators aim to identify individual guilt

“Our statement was primarily supported by the recent public calls,” said Gela Nikolaishvili, one of the founders of the United Neutral Georgia movement, during his appearance on GPB First Channel’s program “Actual Topic with Maka Tsintsadze.”

“Our appeal was not based solely on events from recent days or months. Rather, it was a relatively comprehensive examination—sometimes superficial, sometimes more in-depth—of the actions of that group, team, or individuals dating back to the Saakashvili era. It highlighted how they acted against state interests, willingly or unwillingly, consciously or unconsciously, for approximately 20 years. Unfortunately, this behaviour continued after the new government took power and UNM transitioned to opposition. While they had fewer opportunities then, they have notably escalated their rhetoric following the elections, with a situation emerging in which they did not hesitate to call for overthrow and sabotage, the latter being a criminal offence,” Nikolaishvili added.

In response to a question by the host about who might be the subject of investigation, Gela Nikolaishvili stated that legally it could apply to specific individuals.

“I don’t want to name certain organizations, be they NGOs or political parties, because both NGOs and political parties comprise many individuals, at least dozens if not hundreds, and naturally, not everyone can be involved in the crime to charge someone with some unified, collective guilt. The investigation and prosecution are working to identify the guilt of specific individuals,” Nikolaishvili stated.

According to him, it’s not easy to identify specific individuals in the crime, but it’s not impossible either.

“These individuals often do not hesitate to make calls that amount to sabotage. An investigation has commenced regarding this matter, and additional issues may arise. Furthermore, as announced, the State Security Service is now involved and possesses more information. It cannot be ruled out that this investigation will pursue every lead; by ‘going all the way,’ I mean identifying specific perpetrators,” Nikolaishvili stated.

In response to Maka Tsintsadze’s question about whether opponents might argue these calls represent freedom of expression, Gela Nikolaishvili emphasized that the distinction lies in the fact that the specific article explicitly states the intent was to undermine Georgia.

“Are you doing this to fight political opponents and weaken a political party, or to let tourism die, weaken businesses, and impose sanctions on your country? More precisely, are you imposing sanctions on someone as they demand, only to end up in a worse position than the country you are targeting? Is this why we see the Georgian lari exchange rate collapsing and the economic situation deteriorating? It’s hard to believe that all this is directed solely against a political party. Aren’t they saying that the worse things get, the better it is for them? This means that as people’s situations worsen—reflecting the decline of the country itself—they aim for maximum isolation for Georgia. They not only acknowledge attempting this, but they also explicitly state that it is their goal. What is criminal about these actions? Of course, there is a line between freedom of expression and crime, and determining whether this line has been crossed is precisely what this investigation must reveal,” stated Gela Nikolaishvili.

Today, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office released a statement: “A probe has been launched into attempts at sabotage and instances of assisting the hostile activities of a foreign-controlled organization aimed at violating state interests. The investigation was initiated based on a statement submitted by representatives of the United Neutral Georgia public movement, who noted that in recent years—particularly in light of recent events—the actions of both internal and external actors reveal a coordinated effort against the Georgian state, posing threats to Georgia’s constitutional order and the foundations of its security.”