Leaving prison hours after Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili pardoned them, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, two leaders of the opposition Lelo/Strong Georgia alliance, attributed their release to “manipulation” aimed at dividing the opposition.
Kavelashvili’s move followed his earlier pledge to pardon the jailed opposition leaders if they would promise to take part in the vote, and came against the refusal of Japaridze and Khazaradze to accept the offer, despite their determination to run in the partially boycotted elections. The two were among eight opposition figures imprisoned over refusing to appear before the Georgian Dream parliament’s investigative body, the so-called Tsulukiani Commission. The other six, including four opposition party leaders, remain behind bars as their parties boycott the vote.
“What the so-called president did today is a legal nonsense, a manipulation with people’s freedom, a trampling of the law, a trade with human beings,” Mamuka Khazaradze told reporters on September 5 as he emerged from prison with a grey beard.
Calling the move “sneaky, very dirty step, when our fellow fighters are serving punishment for exactly the same article, the same so-called crime,” Khazaradze still reaffirmed his resolve to take part in the vote, against calls by some opposition figures to reverse the decision. “It is precisely the president’s decision today that shows he wants to bring chaos and confrontation to the opposition spectrum,” the Lelo leader noted.
Badri Japaridze, who also left the jail, similarly noted that their position was “the same as it was until the day we were placed in prison,” attributing the imprisonment to the party’s decision to run in the elections.
Those from the parties that chose to boycott the vote, however, attributed the decision to the Georgian Dream’s attempts to pressure the opposition into taking part in the vote. While describing the freedom of two leaders whom they see as political prisoners as a positive event in general, they called on the Lelo leaders to reconsider their decision.
“Step out of this wrongful Russian special operation and return to the common struggle of principle: of non-cooperation, non-acceptance, non-submission, of resistance,” Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Droa party that boycotts the elections, addressed pardoned Lelo leaders on the day of their release. Droa has been a part of the Coalition for Change opposition alliance, three leaders of which – Zurab Japaridze, Nika Gvaramia, and Nika Melia – remain in jail after being convicted on identical charges.
The Federalist Party, which has campaigned in favor of the boycott, similarly called on Lelo to “not make a mistake worse than a crime, refuse to take part in the Russian special operation of October 4, and return to the consistent path of unity.”
The ruling party officials, on the other hand, described Kavelashvili’s decision as a “humane act” while echoing their earlier accusations towards the newly released leaders.
Kavelashvili’s decision “generally shows the government’s attitude,” Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters on September 5, while invoking the two opposition leaders’ banking background to make sarcastic remarks. “You know that in the past, Khazaradze and Japaridze were evicting people from their apartments, while now the government has evicted these people from prison. This is the contrast between attitudes.”
Lelo/Strong Georgia alliance is among 14 parties cleared by the Central Election Commission to run in the local elections, a sharp drop from 43 that had signed up in the previous, 2021 municipal vote. The alliance is cooperating in the campaign with For Georgia, the party led by exiled former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, fielding joint candidates in the race.
Nine parties, including those from major opposition alliances that took part in last October’s parliamentary elections and two former coalition partners of Lelo/Strong Georgia, are boycotting the elections, with the vote taking place amid ongoing repression, legislative crackdowns on opposition, jailings of political leaders, a crackdown on watchdogs, and a lack of local and international observation.
Also Read:
- 05/09/2025 – Authorities Freeze Lelo/Strong Georgia Account, Study Khazaradze’s Assets
- 23/06/2025 – Mamuka Khazaradze Sentenced to Eight Months in Jail in Second Verdict for Defying GD Commission
- 23/06/2025 – Badri Japaridze Sentenced to Eight Months in Jail in Third Verdict for Defying GD Commission
This post is also available in: ქართული