Opposition leader arrested in Georgia

Giorgi Baramidze, one of the leaders of Georgia’s opposition United National Movement party, has been remanded in custody for two months on charges of treason and sabotage.

TodayPress TV reports, citing local media, that the Tbilisi City Court made the decision following a motion by the Prosecutor’s Office.

Baramidze called the charges absurd.

In July, during a television program, he said that Georgian soldiers had shot prisoners during the Abkhazia war. The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the politician’s remarks amounted to accusations that the Georgian army had committed serious war crimes and caused damage to state interests.

Baramidze could face up to four years in prison if convicted. During Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidency, he served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Defense, and later as Deputy Prime Minister.

Jala Rovshan