Georgian Parliament official says those involved in plot aimed at Georgia’s collapse have received strict, clear response

David Matikashvili, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules, on Friday commented on the detention of Bacho Akhalaia, the former Defence Minister under the previous United National Movement Government, stressing that ultimately, a strict and clear response was given to all those people who participated in the attempted overthrow of the Government on October 4.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Matikashvili noted that the organiser of this scenario was Bacho Akhalaia.

“Ultimately, [everyone] received a strict and clear response, both from the Georgian people and from the state, which assigned a precise and specific place to all those individuals, including Bacho Akhalaia, who participated in this grave crime, which should have ended with the collapse of our country”, the Parliament official said.

“The entire public, and not only Georgia, which objectively assesses the events, knows what happened on October 4. Even before that, the violent overthrow of the Government was announced, even revolutionary committees were created, and on October 4, a very large conspiracy and provocation against Georgia failed. In the end, the Georgian people won on October 4”, he continued.

He emphasised the precise actions of law enforcement agencies, both on that day and in the days that followed, particularly in identifying and detaining individuals directly involved in acts of violence.

“There were specific, multiple connections between Bacho Akhalaia and those who directly participated in the violence, and this continued for more than a hundred times through Internet applications. In practice, it seems that every step taken by the radicals was organised by Bacho Akhalaia”, he noted.

Matikashvili emphasised that the failure of radicals to implement any revolutionary scenario is the merit of the wise Georgian people, noting that law enforcement officers performed their duties at the highest level, uncovering a significant amount of weapons hidden in secret caches.

Georgia’s State Security Service on Thursday arrested Bacho Akhalaia, the former Defence Minister under the previous United National Movement Government, in connection with the criminal case related to the events of October 4 in Tbilisi - the attempted government overthrow.

According to the Service, the investigation established that Akhalaia coordinated the October 4 events through internet-based applications.