Court proceedings in the so-called “sabotage” case, in which eight opposition leaders accused of “crimes against the state” face multiple years in prison, have been adjourned until the fall, delaying a trial that was expected to reach verdicts as early as August.
Omar Purtseladze, one of the defense lawyers, told media on July 22 that Judge Tamar Makharoblidze, who presides over the case, did not disclose a reason for the adjournment or specify a date for hearings to resume.
The move comes after the trial had recently accelerated, moving from a pace of one hearing per month to two hearings a week following the judge’s decision in June.
Meanwhile, Interpressnews reported that the court rejected a request by several European diplomatic missions in Georgia, including the EU delegation and the embassies of France, Germany, Poland, and the UK, to attend the hearings due to “high interest” from both local and international communities. The hearings have been closed to the media and the public since February.
The eight opposition figures accused in the case are Zurab Japaridze of Girchi – More Freedom, Elene Khoshtaria of Droa, Nika Gvaramia and Nika Melia of Ahali, Giorgi Vashadze of Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze of Lelo, and former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Three of them — Saakashvili, Khoshtaria, and Melia — are already in prison after being convicted in separate cases, while the others remain free on bail.
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