Opposition leader Melia claims police planned his detention ahead of court verdict

Tbilisi City Court on Monday heard the case of Coalition for Change leader Nika Melia, who was detained near Lisi Lake on May 25. During the hearing, Melia alleged that law enforcement officials deliberately decided to apprehend him there rather than wait for the court’s verdict scheduled for the following day.

“They decided not to wait for the verdict. They said, ‘Let’s arrest him at Lisi.’ There were 50 police officers [previously], but this time only two came,” Melia told the court.

Explaining the background, Melia said his arrest was linked to his earlier refusal to appear before a parliamentary commission chaired by former Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani on the activities of the previous government.

“I had publicly announced that I would not attend Tsulukiani’s commission. They thought, what if Melia locks himself again in the party office and we have to conduct a special operation? To avoid such a dramatic effect, they decided to detain me at Lisi Lake instead,” Melia stated.