January, 2026 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

Zurab Girchi Japaridze, leader of the opposition Girchi–More Freedom party, said he will post the bail imposed on him in a pending “sabotage” case, reversing his earlier stance, and explaining that he would rather be jailed “for doing something more significant than not posting the bail.”

Zurab Japaridze left prison on December 19 after serving seven months for defying Georgian Dream’s parliamentary commission. On December 22, a court ordered him to pay GEL 30,000 (approximately USD 11,000) bail in a separate criminal case in which he is charged with sabotage and aiding a foreign country in hostile activities, facing seven to 15 years in prison. He was given 30 days to post the bail.

In a December 31 Facebook post, Japaridze said he would post the bail and outlined three reasons for the decision, a move that marked a reversal from his earlier refusal to cooperate with Georgian Dream in any form. The decision followed public appeals from supporters urging him to post the bail so he could be more actively involved in the current resistance.

Explaining his decision, Japaridze said the likelihood of his imprisonment is “very high” regardless of whether he posts bail. “I will not stop. I will not leave this country,” he said, adding that his actions – not the bail – would be the reason for any arrest. “At this point, I would rather be arrested for doing something more significant than for not posting bail.”

Secondly, he said his “stubbornness” has become both a weakness and a tool for the authorities, making him “too predictable.” He said a friend had helped him realize this, and he would try, when possible, not to allow that trait to be used against him.

Third – and most importantly, he said – his decision affects not only his own future but also that of people close to him and their families. “I do not want my decision to restrict anyone else’s room for action,” he wrote, adding that he did not want to bear responsibility for consequences that could affect others.

“That’s why I will post this bail,” Japaridze wrote. “I am saying this now so that no one will carry this worry into the New Year – neither my family nor the families of those who are fighting this common fight with me.”

Seven other opposition figures were charged alongside Japaridze in November in the “sabotage” case, including Ahali’s Nika Melia and Nika Gvaramia, Droa’s Elene Khoshtaria, and Strategy Agmashenebeli’s Giorgi Vashadze, all of whom remain behind bars on separate charges. Lelo’s Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze were ordered to pay GEL 1 million (about USD 370,000) each in the same case.

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