12:25, 26 January 2026

Georgian opposition figure Targamadze released from prison

Givi Targamadze. Photo: https://www.interpressnews.ge/

Opposition politician Givi Targamadze was released from Rustavi Prison today after serving his sentence for failing to appear at a meeting of a Georgian parliamentary commission.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", on June 28, 2025, opposition politician and former head of the parliamentary committee on defense and security, Givi Targamadze, was sentenced to seven months in prison for failing to comply with the demands of the temporary investigative commission of the Georgian parliament.

In February 2025, a parliamentary commission began its work in Georgia to study the "crimes of the regime" Mikheil Saakashvili in 2003-2012. The commission's goal was to prove that the "Five-Day War" of 2008 was initiated by Georgia's third president. Eight opposition members were convicted of failing to appear at the commission's meetings. . On December 19, 2025, Zurab Japaridze was released after serving seven months in Rustavi Prison.

Today, Givi Targamadze left the 12th Rustavi Penitentiary Institution after serving seven months, Interpressnews reports.

After his release, the politician told reporters that he regretted that "so many people remain in prison." "I would be truly happy if I were the last one to leave, so that everyone could leave. Unfortunately, we don't decide that," the publication quotes Targamadze as saying.

The case of failure to appear at parliamentary commission meetings has become an episode of repression against politicians unpopular with the authorities, opposition representatives said.

Near the Georgian Parliament building, December 6, 2024. Photo by Aziz Kerimov for

Key points about the persecution of protesters in Georgia

As a reminder, on October 4, 2025, the day of municipal elections, thousands of people gathered in central Tbilisi. After opera singer Paata Burchaladze declared that power in Georgia belongs to the people, clashes broke out between protesters and security forces near the presidential palace. Security forces used riot gear, while protesters used firecrackers. Six demonstrators and 21 security forces were hospitalized, and another 30 people received medical treatment on the spot. Police later opened a criminal investigation into calls to overthrow the government, attacks on police officers, and the storming of the palace.

Among those detained in connection with the storming of the presidential palace are five protest leaders. They were arrested on charges of organizing group violence, calls to overthrow the government, and attempting to seize the presidential palace. They face up to nine years in prison; all five refused to plead guilty.

The attempt to seize the presidential palace was doomed to failure and gave the current government a new opportunity to pressure the opposition. Analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated that a peaceful change of power remains only if the opposition overcomes its disunity.

Starting November 28, 2024, protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners. They have been holding daily protests on Rustaveli Avenue. In October 2025, following the tightening of laws on assemblies and demonstrations, security forces began massively detaining protesters. Most were accused of blocking the avenue and obstructing traffic.

Moreover, on January 23, 2026, it became known that the ECHR had begun examining the case of mass violations of voter secrecy in the Georgian parliamentary elections.

Caucasian Knot compiled materials on the opposition supporters' protests on the thematic page "Georgia: Post-Election Protests".

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420250