Latest news with #Okruashvili
Civil.ge
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Ex-Minister Okruashvili Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for Defying Tsulukiani Commission
Irakli Okruashvili, a former defense minister under the United National Movement government, was sentenced to eight months in prison for refusing to appear before the Tsulukiani Commission — a temporary investigative body established by the Georgian Dream parliament with an expanding scope to probe alleged crimes by former officials. Tbilisi City Court Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili announced the ruling on July 4. Seven other persons, including six active political leaders, were sentenced to months in jail in similar cases – Nika Gvaramia , Nika Melia , Givi Targamadze , Giorgi Vashadze , Mamuka Khazaradze , Badri Japaradze , and Zurab Japaridze . All who have received prison sentences have also had their right to hold public office stripped for two years. Georgian Dream leaders have tied the imprisonment of opposition politicians to their refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the disputed parliament. 'In its essence, the politicians currently in prison weren't arrested by authorities,' Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told Imedi TV in his July 3 interview . 'The reason for imprisonment was the non-recognition of the parliament on their part, non-recognition of the democratic system, and this principle is effective in every country.' Okruashvili was sent to pretrial detention in May after he refused to pay court-imposed bail for defying the commission summons. While in detention, new charges were filed against Okruashvili under Article 151 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which concerns 'a threat of killing, damaging health, or destroying property' that induces a reasonable fear of harm. Okruashvili's lawyer, Mamuka Chabashvili, told TV Pirveli on June 24 that the charge stemmed from a separate 'banal incident' from 2023. The Georgian Dream parliament's temporary investigative commission , chaired by former Justice and Culture Minister Tea Tsulukiani, was initially formed to probe alleged crimes under the United National Movement (UNM) government. Over time, however, it extended its scope to the present day, summoning GD critics, including some who never served under UNM. Non-compliance with the Commission is a criminal offense, punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison, alongside a ban on holding public office for up to three years. Most opposition leaders defied commission summonses, citing their refusal to legitimize the disputed parliament. The exception was ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who testified twice while arguing that his testimonies do not mean legitimizing the legislature. Gvaramia, Khazaradze, and Vashadze, currently convicted and in jail, were also resummoned, but they again refused to appear. The commission asked the Prosecutor's Office to open investigations into their renewed defiance. On June 25, the GD parliament once again extended the commission's mandate until August 5. Tsulukiani, addressing the GD MPs at the plenary session, said the final report of the commission will be 'the gravest' in its assessments. Georgian Dream says that the commission's final report will be submitted to the country's Constitutional Court to ban the UNM and its 'successor parties.' Dozens of international partners have condemned the imprisonment of opposition figures as politically motivated, accusing the Georgian Dream government of using judicial pressure to consolidate power. Also Read: This post is also available in: ქართული
OC Media
04-07-2025
- Politics
- OC Media
Former Georgian Defence Minister Okruashvili sentenced to 8 months
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Tbilisi City Court has sentenced former Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili to eight months in jail for failing to appear before a parliamentary commission created to investigate the opposition. The verdict also included a two-year ban on holding public office. Okruashvili was already in pretrial detention at the time of his sentencing for refusing to pay the bail set by the court in the same case. A total of eight people, including a number of opposition leaders, have been detained for failing to appear before Georgian Dream's parliamentary commission. Seven of them have already been sentenced — Okruashvili was the last to be handed down his verdict. Okruashvili has a long and eventful history in Georgian politics, though he has struggled to remain politically relevant in recent years. He served in a variety of roles during the tenure of former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement (UNM) party, including as Interior Minister and Minister of Defence until 2006. In 2007 he went into the opposition and subsequently faced criminal charges, before going into exile in France. He returned to Georgia in 2012. Okruashvili was again arrested in 2019 and sentenced to five years in prison for 'organising group violence' during the Gavrilov's Night protests. He was pardoned by Georgia's fifth president Salome Zourabichvili in 2020. While already in pre-trial detention for boycotting the commission, new charges brought against Okruashvili. According to his lawyer Mamuka Chabashvili, the case is related to an incident that occurred years ago — he did not provide any further details. Advertisement A co-leader of the opposition Ahali party, Nika Gvaramia, was the latest to be sentenced prior to Okruashvili on 1 July, receiving eight months. On 27 June, another leader of the Ahali party, Nika Melia, and former MP Givi Targamadze were arrested and sentenced to eight and seven months, respectively. Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the Strategy Aghmashenebeli party, was sentenced to seven months on 24 June. The day before, on 23 June, the court sentenced Girchi — More Freedom leader Zurab Japaridze to seven months in prison on the same charges. Just a few hours later, Lelo leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze were given eight months each. The sentences also included a ban from holding public office for two years. The anti-UNM commission The commission was set up in February ostensibly to investigate the UNM's time in power, following repeated pledges by Georgian Dream to punish the formerly ruling party. Initially, its mandate was limited to the UNM's years in government (2003–2012), but was later expanded to cover the period up to the present day — effectively giving Georgian Dream free reign to target virtually any opposition figure. Numerous opposition figures have boycotted the commission, refusing to recognise its legitimacy, as well as that of the current parliament, which has also been boycotted by major opposition parties following the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections. Criminal cases were launched against those who refused to attend the commission's hearings — if found guilty, those charged could be fined or sentenced to up to a year in prison. They could also be banned from holding public office or engaging in certain activities for up to three years. On Monday, it was announced that the commission will once again refer the cases of politicians — Gvaramia, Khazaradze, and Vashadze — to the Prosecutor General's Office. Those three were summoned to appear before the commission again after their arrests but refused to participate, this time from prison. Georgian Dream has openly declared that it intends to use the findings of the parliamentary commission to file a case with the Constitutional Court seeking to ban the country's main opposition parties — a promise the ruling party made to its voters ahead of the 2024 elections. The ruling party has maintained that all major opposition groups operating in the country are satellites of the UNM and should no longer be allowed to exist.
