3 activists questioned by Security Service after claiming ex-president Saakashvili plans unrest in Georgia

UPDATED: 20:00

The State Security Service of Georgia has started an investigation about "planning of sabotage” according to Article 18-318 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, says the State Security Service press office.

EARLIER today at 17:26

The State Security Service of Georgia has summoned three people for questioning after they released a statement claiming they met ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili in Ukraine four days ago and he revealed his plans to incite violence in Georgia after the October 8 Parliamentary Elections.

The three people were members of the Free Zone political club and local non-governmental organisation (NGO), which is backed by the former ruling United National Movement (UNM) party. However they quit the organisation together with seven other activists this morning after releasing their special statement.

Earlier today 10 members of Free Zone held a press conference and said Saakashvili – Georgia’s former president and UNM leader who now serves as Odessa Governor in Ukraine – met members of the NGO in Ukraine and told them he wanted to use the organisation to create unrest following the elections in Georgia.

The destabilisation would be reached by using two organisations: ‘Free Zone’ and the other ‘In the Name of Commitment to Georgia’. The main task was to block the buildings of state law forces, the word "barricades” was also mentioned several times during the meeting [with Saakashvili]," Irakli Kometiani, ex-Free Zone member told local media before entering the State Security Service building for questioning.

"The buildings named at the meeting were Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Administration of the Government of Georgia and some other state agencies.”

Irakli Kometiani, former member of Free Zone spoke to local media and said Saakashvili's plan included to blockade Georgia's law enforcing agencies. 

The 10 Free Zone members said they would leave the organisation after they learned of Saakashvili’s plans.

Several days ago I met Mikheil Saakashvili in Ukraine and he told me he needs our organisation Free Zone to arrange a destabilisation after the elections,” said former Free Zone member Beso Kaladze at today’s press conference.

After this comment the Counter Intelligence Department of the State Security Service asked Kaladze and two other ex-Free Zone members to visit the agency and answer questions relating to the term "destabilisation”, that was mentioned at the press conference.

Kaladze also said a special organisation had formed in Georgia called In the Name of Commitment to Georgia, which was directly tasked to "take people to the streets” after the elections and cause unrest.

We had been supporting UNM since 2012. I offered Saakashvili to use our resource for the elections but this organisation has now lost its political meaning and is going to be used to cause chaos in the country,” Kaladze said.

And we are not going to participate in this,” he stressed.

Kaladze was head of Free Zone’s Gldani office in Tbilisi.

The former activist said it was first voiced in August at party meetings that UNM planned to cause unrest after the elections.

"Saakashvili told me in Odessa that we would receive directives through a mediator,” Kaladze said.

We were supposed to hold rallies and claim that the elections were falsified. We were supposed to force people get out to the streets. We would blockade state agencies and that might cause casualties.”

After this dialogue I told Saakashvili that I agreed with him because I wanted to leave Ukraine peacefully [when in reality I didn’t].”

Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia’s reaction

Executive Secretary of the current ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GDDG) party Irakli Kobakhidze said the statement by Free Zone members’ today was more proof that UNM was "working on concrete plans to cause unrest in the country”.

That’s what we have been talking about recently. It’s good that even within UNM there are people who separate themselves from this criminal plan,” Kobakhidze said.

UNM’s reaction

United National Movement members suggested the State Security Service stood behind today's development.

"This is the State Security Service's project. The State Security Service took those people back who had been sent by this agency," UNM member Irma Nadirashvili said. 

Free Zone issued a statement on its website in relation to today’s developments that claimed all of this had been "staged” by the State Security Service.

"It’s sad that the State Security Service, whose obligation is to ensure the country’s security, makes itself busy with staging such theatre of the absurd, bribing, blackmailing and using youth for their dirty plans,” Free Zone said.