TBILISI, June 1 – Georgian authorities have charged two citizens with spying for foreign intelligence services in separate cases that the defendants’ lawyers say are baseless.
Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG) announced the arrests on Saturday, while the Prosecutor’s Office charged the two the following day with espionage, under a clause of the criminal code which carries a prison sentence of up to 12 years, Interpressnews reported.
One of the detainees has been identified as Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, founder and head of a non-governmental organization (NGO). SSG Deputy Chief Lasha Maghradze said Rtskhiladze was linked to the intelligence services of two unnamed foreign countries and had for years gathered and passed on intelligence-type information in return for material benefit.
Although the SSG has not named the two foreign countries allegedly involved, Rtskhiladze’s lawyer said Russia was likely one of them, while stressing that he could not confirm this, Georgia’s Public Broadcaster reported. He said his client denies being a spy and says his work was aimed at improving relations between Russia and Georgia.
According to the security service, Rtskhiladze allegedly maintained “highly organized” covert contacts with foreign intelligence representatives, using both face-to-face meetings and electronic communication. Maghradze said some meetings were held abroad for secrecy and instruction purposes.
The agency also claimed that the accused had created information platforms and organized events across Georgia with foreign funding and instructions.
The second detainee was also identified by the Prosecutor’s Office. Investigators claim the second suspect gathered and transferred information to a foreign intelligence service through contacts in journalistic, expert and other professional circles.
According to SSG, the second person allegedly ran an intelligence network under cover of an online platform, coordinated its members, collected information and distributed money received from foreign intelligence handlers. The agency said the information concerned political and economic processes in Georgia and the region, including neighboring countries, as well as security and law enforcement structures.
Rtskhiladze’s lawyer, Lasha Golubiani, said his client denies the charges and links the arrest to his creation of a “Russophobia monitoring council” and denies being a spy.
“There is no direct evidence, not even indirect evidence,” Golubiani said, referring to the case file, which he said consists of 11 or 12 volumes.
Golubiani said Rtskhiladze believes his work was aimed at normalizing relations between Russia and Georgia and preventing “war and disaster” in the country. Asked whether Russia may be one of the countries mentioned by SSG, the lawyer said it was possible but could not confirm it. He also said Rtskhiladze had planned to travel to Iran but changed his mind because of family circumstances.
The second suspect’s lawyer, Giorgi Gelkhauri, was equally dismissive of the case against his client, who denies the charges.
“I have never seen such absurdity,” Gelkhauri said after leaving the SSG building. He said his client had no connection to espionage or to any action harming Georgia’s interests.
Gelkhauri said the case is classified and that the defense had signed a non-disclosure obligation, limiting what it can say publicly. He said his client’s case has no connection to Rtskhiladze’s case, apart from the same criminal article being used.
