Georgian PM warns: participation in violence will lead to lengthy prison terms

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday warned that participation in acts of violence was carrying the risk of long-term imprisonment, describing it as a friendly piece of advice and urging people not to do anything that could lead to spending many years behind bars.

“When we talk about an overthrow, it inherently implies violence. An overthrow without violence does not exist - such a thing cannot exist in nature. Therefore, we will say it again directly: the declared goal of the rally is to attempt to overthrow or forcibly change the constitutional order, which by its nature involves violence. Not everyone wants to take part in violence”, the PM said.

Kobakhidze emphasised that it was very good that two specific individuals had taken a state-minded position, in reference to two former high-ranking military officers, who on Thursday issued a joint statement ahead of a rally planned by radical opposition groups, strongly rejecting any violent actions and urging restraint.

“There will be many more people, even those with similar political views, who will not want to participate in violence. Once again, we want to warn everyone that involvement in such violence entails multi-year prison terms. This is a friendly piece of advice from our side: do not do something that will result in spending many years behind bars”, he concluded.