Georgian Parliament official: no one will escape accountability for October 4 coup attempt

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, on Thursday said the developments of October 4 represented a well-organised and premeditated attempt to incite violence within the country and to justify that violence abroad.

In his remarks, Makhashvili noted that this coordinated effort involved both internal unrest and synchronized external statements, indicating deliberate orchestration.

“Violence was unfolding minute by minute, hour by hour, accompanied by foreign statements. The fact that these events were so synchronized proves that this was a well-organized, pre-planned attempt - violence inside the country and its justification abroad. This process will face both legal and political assessment. No one will escape responsibility - neither legal nor political”, the Parliament official said.

He also criticised what he described as the silence of European bureaucrats regarding the attempted government overthrow, emphasising that they would have to assume political responsibility for their stance on the matter.

“When we speak about foreign patrons who supported this process, it is clear that they cannot avoid political accountability unless they give the Georgian people a clear answer as to why they were involved in these actions. And if some of them were not involved, they must firmly condemn and distance themselves from these events”, he concluded.

On October 4, large-scale protests in Tbilisi escalated into a dramatic confrontation, as a group of radical demonstrators tried to storm the presidential palace. The unrest occurred on the same day Georgia held municipal elections.

Authorities detained at least five opposition figures, including Paata Burchuladze. They are now facing charges of plotting to overthrow the government - a potential offense that could carry lengthy prison sentences.

Government officials described the events as a failed coup attempt orchestrated with foreign backing. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the protests “an attempted overthrow of the constitutional order”.