The opposition United National Movement (UNM) considers the detention of party leader Giorgi Baramidze a continuation of political repression in Georgia. Baramidze has been charged with high treason, specifically sabotage. He faces up to four years in prison.
According to UNM member Ana Tsitlidze, the statement regarding the war in Abkhazia that led to the politician’s detention was merely a pretext needed by the authorities to exert pressure on the opposition. She believes the ruling Georgian Dream party aims to demonstrate loyalty to Russia, where Baramidze was convicted in absentia several months ago.
She also called the treason charge against a man who has fought for Georgia his entire life cynical, describing his detention by the country’s actual “traitors” as absurd.
“Neither Giorgi Baramidze nor the United National Movement will be broken by such arrests. Giorgi Baramidze has fought against Russia his entire conscious life — he fought in Abkhazia for Georgia’s territorial integrity and fought in Ukraine against the Russians, so he cannot be intimidated.
In reality, this is a direct order from Bidzina Ivanishvili. I would like to remind you that a few months ago, the Russian authorities and Putin also passed a sentence against Baramidze. And now, Georgian Dream has carried out their orders.”
Tsitlidze also stressed that Baramidze himself had already clarified his remarks about the war in Abkhazia and offered an apology. She believes that while the UNM member could face political accountability for his statement, it should not warrant criminal liability.
According to the chairman of the UNM’s governing board, Irakli Pavlenishvili, Baramidze’s detention means “we now have a political prisoner arrested over their own interpretation of his words, which he publicly refuted.” Pavlenishvili argued that the “Ivanishvili regime” has now shifted to open repression.
“Giorgi Baramidze is a Georgian patriot. The detention of this man by people whose statements are being used by the occupier… is completely unacceptable and intolerable. The Ivanishvili regime has turned to repression. As for Giorgi Baramidze, I repeat: he is being taken into custody not even for his words, but for a distorted interpretation of them.
In other interviews, he explicitly clarified that the phrasing attributed to him did not reflect his position. Now we have a political prisoner detained based on an interpretation of his words tailored to their narrative, an interpretation he had previously publicly debunked. The reason is simple: they intend to lock up all critics,” Pavlenishvili stated.
Another leader of the United National Movement, Khatia Dekanoidze, also pointed out that treason charges are being brought against a politician who had previously been tried in Russia.
“Ivanishvili’s prosecutor general was Partskhaladze — a Russian spy and a traitor.
Georgians are being persecuted and summoned to court for ‘insulting’ Simonyan.
The Georgian economy has been made dependent on Russia, and they speak to us with the arrogance of a new Treaty of Georgievsk.
And meanwhile, Baramidze, who was sentenced in absentia by the Russians, is detained for ‘high treason.’
This is the madness Ivanishvili is forcing people to live in,” Dekanoidze stated.
Baramidze’s controversial interview
On July 18, an episode of Iago Khvichia’s program “The Birth of Georgia” featuring Giorgi Baramidze as a guest was released on YouTube. The conversation touched upon various topics, including the exchange of prisoners during the war in Abkhazia in the early 1990s. Baramidze stated then that “they stopped giving us prisoners, and we didn’t have prisoners; our guys didn’t take prisoners.” When Khvichia asked why, the opposition figure replied: “They finished them off.”
Later, Baramidze released a video message on social media clarifying his remarks from the interview. The politician noted that his words pertained to the situation during the initial weeks of the war: “When the opposing side asked to hand over anyone [prisoners], there were none.” The UNM member also claimed that his comment was taken out of context and circulated “in a stripped-down form.” According to Baramidze, he had expected government-aligned media to seize upon what he said.
Shortly thereafter, a criminal case was opened against the opposition figure under Articles 307-prima and 318 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which cover high treason and endangering state interests.
