TBILISI, September 18 – One of Georgia’s most high-profile opposition figures, Elene Khoshtaria, has been ordered to pay 5,000 lari (about USD 1,800) in bail following her arrest for defacing a ruling party election banner.
A judge in Tbilisi set the bail on Monday, but Khoshtaria, one of the leading figures of the opposition Coalition For Change, boycotted the court hearing. From detention, she released a statement calling the charges “unlawful” and urging supporters not to cover her bail. She described payment as “a ransom to open the prison door” and said her fight would continue behind bars.
Khoshtaria was detained on September 15 after spray-painting “Russian Dream” on a banner belonging to Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze’s election campaign. She said the act was a show of solidarity with another activist, recently arrested for a similar protest.
Prosecutors charged her under Article 187 of Georgia’s Criminal Code for damaging property, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. She is being held in pre-trial detention, with 20 days set to pay bail.
