Georgian Parliament official describes October 4 events as grave crime against state

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European Integration Committee, on Friday said the October 4 case involved a planned attempt to undermine the state, emphasising that all those involved must face legal accountability.

Commenting on the October 4 events, Makhashvili described the process as a deliberately planned and openly promoted attempt to destabilise the country.

“Perhaps there is little room left for political assessment, because everything was very clear and unambiguous to citizens of Georgia. For months, they had been planning this process, calling on the public to take part in this violent and criminal process, and then, as soon as this process collapsed, they hid in their holes. Every one of them fled and went into hiding”, he said.

The official emphasised that accountability was unavoidable, regardless of political affiliation or professional status.

“One thing is that everything was unambiguous, and another is that all of this must receive a legal assessment. No one - whether a politician or a representative of any other profession - will be able to escape the law, justice, or judicial accountability in Georgia for this very serious crime. Incidentally, society also saw that they were staging a show, pretending that nothing was happening and that this was some kind of entertaining process, inviting people to take part”, he noted.

“In reality, this was a violent and extremely serious crime directed against the state, for which, of course, everyone who was involved, who encouraged it or supported it in any form, must be held accountable”, Makhashvili concluded.

On October 4, large-scale protests in Tbilisi escalated into a dramatic confrontation, as a group of radical demonstrators tried to storm the presidential palace. The unrest occurred on the same day Georgia held municipal elections.

Authorities detained five opposition figures, including Paata Burchuladze. They are now facing charges of plotting to overthrow the government - a potential offence that could carry lengthy prison sentences.

Government officials described the events as a failed coup attempt orchestrated with foreign backing. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the protests “an attempted overthrow of the constitutional order”.