Arrested opposition leader denies organizing protest, questions charges in court

Detained opposition politician Paata Manjgaladze on Thursday denied organizing a planned protest in October and questioned the legal basis of the charges against him during a court hearing.

“I could not have declared myself the organizer of a protest that had been announced two months in advance. I could not present myself as a self-appointed organizer,” Manjgaladze told the court.

He argued that none of his actions or statements constituted illegal conduct and challenged the prosecution to specify which of his activities allegedly contained elements of a crime.

“Which specific action or statement of mine contains unlawful elements? If I had known about any illegal activity, would I have recorded that video? I neither planned nor anticipated anything,” he said.

Manjgaladze also recounted that he was on Tabukashvili Street when he received a call from Levan Ioseliani, the public defender, who asked who was responsible for the events.

“I told him I did not know. I was not aware of what was happening near the presidential palace. When he explained the situation, I believed it was a trap and that the people there needed to be removed,” he added.

Manjgaladze, along with Paata Burchuladze, Murtaz Zodelava, Irakli Nadiradze, and Lasha Beridze, was detained overnight on October 4, 2025.

According to investigators, the defendants are accused of calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order, as well as organizing, leading, and participating in group violence - charges that carry a sentence of up to nine years in prison.