Prepared by Messenger Staff
UNM Politician Sentenced Over Pre-Election Video
Tbilisi City Court sentenced United National Movement politician and former Tbilisi Sakrebulo member Zviad Kuprava to two and a half years in prison on June 29, finding him guilty of publicly calling for the overthrow of the government in a Facebook video posted days before the October 4 municipal elections.
Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili also fined him GEL 5,000 on a separate charge of resisting police during his arrest on October 1, 2025.
In the video, published on September 30, Kuprava outlined a plan to disrupt a vote that the UNM and parts of the opposition were boycotting.
His conviction is one of 29 prison sentences handed down in cases connected to the October 4 unrest, when protesters attempted to storm the presidential palace in central Tbilisi. Georgian Dream has described those events as a foreign-orchestrated coup attempt. Twelve defendants took plea deals for reduced terms and 22 received suspended sentences.
Khoshtaria to Be Transferred to Clinic Within Two Days
Imprisoned Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria will be transferred to the private Vivamed Clinic for treatment within the next two days, Special Penitentiary Service Director General Giorgi Pataridze announced at a briefing yesterday.
Khoshtaria's doctor, Maka Ioseliani, said a treatment plan has been drawn up following comprehensive diagnostic examinations. At Vivamed, Khoshtaria will undergo laboratory and instrumental tests and specialist consultations before a final diagnosis is made.
"Only after that, when an infection is finally ruled out, a diagnosis will be made, and treatment will begin in accordance with international recommendations," Ioseliani said.
She added that doctors have been permitted to begin biological disease-modifying drugs if they decide it is necessary, but only after a full workup. "This therapy will also begin within the walls of Vivamed," Ioseliani said, noting that several injections would be administered before any decision is made on returning Khoshtaria to prison.
