Elene Khoshtaria refused to post court-ordered bail

The Tbilisi City Court ordered Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Droa! party, to post bail in the amount of 5,000 lari. She is accused of intentionally damaging the campaign banners of Tbilisi mayoral candidate Kakha Kaladze.

The opposition leader must pay the amount within 20 days to be released from pretrial detention. However, she stated that she refuses to comply with this requirement.

"My choice is never to do anything in this struggle that I cannot explain to my conscience or to you. Paying bail and thus being released is not a way to freedom. It is a toll to open the prison door, which I, of course, will not pay—not because it would hurt my pride, but because I would not be able to call you to any struggle or participate in it, and I will not do so by participating in lies and farce." My imprisonment is illegal, just like that of countless free people. But imprisonment does not stop the fight, I promise you. We will win with honor! Until the end!

P.S.: If someone posts my bail, it will be like a knife in my heart; I will not allow anyone to do so,” Khoshtaria wrote from prison.

As a reminder, on September 15, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the arrest of Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Droa! party and member of the Coalition for Change. The agency notes that an investigation has been opened against her under Article 187 of the Criminal Code, which provides for punishment for damaging or destroying property. The maximum penalty for this article is imprisonment for up to five years.

According to investigators, on September 14, the accused damaged banners held by Kakha Kaladze, mayoral candidate for the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party, in Tbilisi.

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