Georgia: four oppositionists sentenced to two months of custody

Today, the Tbilisi City Court has sentenced two activists of the oppositional "People's Movement to Save Georgia" and two members of the Party "Democratic Movement - United Georgia", arrested on March 23, to two months of pre-trial custody.

Malkhaz Gvelukashvili and Lasha Chkhenkeli, members of the "People's Movement to Save Georgia" are accused of anti-state actions and attempt of a putsch, while Zurab Avaliani and David Kokuchadze, oppositionists from the "Democratic Movement - United Georgia" are charged with illegal purchase and storage of arms.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the opposition planned to set up groups of 30 persons instructed to seize the building of the parliament and TV tower and provoke armed conflicts of three thousand militants with the police, as the Newsru.com reports.

Today, the Georgia's MIA has promulgated two more video records about preparation of the putsch showing members of the Party "Democratic Movement - United Georgia".

"The first record shows Zurab Avaliani, head of the Adzharia representative office of the Party, and David Gogrochadze, who are discussing possible use of arms in the near future by the opposition, and then make their way to purchase such. The second video record shows Roin Bugashvili, former MIA employee and now a member of the Party, who speaks about the ways to provoke civil war in Georgia and possible benefits for the Party. The record was made in the Party's headquarters in the Isani-Samgori District in Tbilisi," the IA "News-Georgia" describes the content of the videos disseminated by the MIA.

Yesterday, the video records were promulgated showing activists of the "People's Movement to Save Georgia" Malkhaz Gvelukashvili and Lasha Chkhenkeli talking to an arms seller about preparation of a putsch. The MIA has stated that "dissemination of proofs on the case will continue."

Zaza Vashakmadze, advocate of Gvelukashvili and Chkhenkeli, has informed journalists that his clients refuse to admit charges of terrorism and attempt of coup d'etat. "Malkhaz Gvelukashvili and Lasha Chkhenkeli have stated at the trial that they intended to excite people's mutiny, but categorically reject other accusations," the advocate has noted.

In their turn, relatives and colleagues of the detainees held a protest action in front of the MIA building demanding their release and asserting that all the charges were forged by the MIA, as the "Rosbalt" reports.

Today, Nino Burdzhanadze, former speaker of the Georgian parliament, has categorically rejected any authorities in her party of Roin Bugashvili, one of a putsch suspect and former MIA employee.

"At 6:00 a.m., a person was detained in the Party's office, who had no authorities from the Party, known to none of full-fledged Party members and having nothing to do with the office in Isani-Samgori," Ms Burdzhanadze has stated.

However, according to her story, should the guilt of the detained members of her Party be proved, "they should be certainly punished."