Georgian Prime Minister announced Saakashvili's plans to kill oppositionists

Mikheil Saakashvili and his associates planned to create riots in Tbilisi on October 3, during which several oppositionists would be killed. And then demand the resignation of the government and re-elections, claimed the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili.

According to him, at first, Saakashvili wanted to hold a rally in Tbilisi. “Their plan was this: during the culmination and mobilisation of about 10 thousand people, they probably could have achieved this, the police would have had to detain Saakashvili and, possibly, use special equipment. And at that time, one of the versions was considered the murder of several opposition leaders,” Garibashvili said.

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was detained on October 1 after returning to Georgia and imprisoned in Rustavi, where he went on a hunger strike. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili ruled out his pardon.

On October 2, police detained the owner of the apartment in Tbilisi where Mikheil Saakashvili was hiding after returning to Georgia. The man was suspected of covering up a crime. The owner of the apartment, Elguja Tsomaya, has been accused of concealing a crime, the prosecutor's office said. The defence found the accusation illogical.

Tbilisi apartment owner arrested for helping Saakashvili

Tbilisi resident Elguja Tsomaya was arrested for two months on charges of concealing a crime for providing an apartment to Mikheil Saakashvili. The former president continues his hunger strike, his lawyers said after visiting his client in a Rustavi prison.

On October 3, Elguja Tsomaya, was charged under a criminal article of concealing a crime, which provides for up to four years in prison. The defence considered the accusation illogical: there is no article on harbouring a criminal in the Criminal Code, and “concealing a crime” does not apply to Tsomaya, said one of his lawyers, Dmitry Sadzaglishvili.

Tsomaya will be detained for two months while awaiting his trail. His lawyer Beka Basilai called this decision political. "An absolutely political decision was made; the client was sent to pre-trial detention" Basilai said.

Two more people were detained in Mikheil Saakashvili’s case of illegal border crossing, prosecutor Levan Vepkhvadze said. “Two more people were detained on the fact of concealing a crime, which will be reported to the public in the near future conditions" Vepkhvadze added.

Rustavi rally participants demand Saakashvili's release

The opposition United National Movement (UNM) party organised a large-scale rally outside the penitentiary institution No. 12 in the Georgian city of Rustavi. The release of the third president is possible after the victory of the opposition in the second round of local elections said the candidate for mayor of Tbilisi from the United National Movement Nika Melia. Saakashvili promises to continue the hunger strike until his release.

The demonstration took place near the entrance to the prison building, where the opposition built a stage from which representatives of the party and various activists spoke. Flags of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, the European Union, and NATO were seen among the crowd. "No to political persecution!" and "Freedom for Mikheil Saakashvili!" was written on some of the posters.

There's a reason why Ukrainian emblems are used at the protest. Saakashvili has not visited Georgia in nearly eight years and spent most of that time in Ukraine, where he is a member of the National Reform Council and holds Ukrainian citizenship.

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili returned to his homeland on October 1, a day before municipal elections in the country's cities. He was detained and placed in a prison in Rustavi, where he went on a hunger strike. The prison administration refused his lawyers’ requests to meet with their client, even though he is on a hunger strike, the defence said on October 2.

Parliament of Georgia stripped Melia of his deputy mandate

The deputies of the Georgian parliament unanimously agreed to terminate the parliamentary powers of the leader of the United National Movement, Nika Melia, who is running for the mayor of Tbilisi.

The leader of the United National Movement, Nika Melia, after the withdrawal of the Georgian Dream from the agreement with the opposition, preferred to focus on the municipal elections, but he asked his fellow party members to stay in parliament.

The April 19 agreement was presented by the President of the European Council Charles Michel, who took part in the by signing it remotely. The document assumed that if the ruling party gains less than 43% in the upcoming local elections in the fall, then early parliamentary elections will be scheduled in 2022. After the agreement was signed, most opposition parties stopped boycotting and began working in parliament on April 27. The opposition United National Movement party, which refused to sign the agreement, decided to end the boycott of parliament on May 30. On July 28, ruling Georgian Dream decided to withdraw from the agreement, as it fulfilled (from standpoint of Georgian Dream) its mission. The United National Movement on September 1 decided to sign an agreement with the Georgian authorities, despite the ruling party's withdrawal from these agreements.