Manjgaladze from Prison: Do Not Label Those Who Accepted Plea Deals as Traitors

Paata Manjgaladze, an opposition politician convicted in the October 4 case, responded to the ongoing discussion about plea agreements in a letter sent from prison. The letter was distributed by the press service.

Manjgaladze calls on the public not to label as traitors those who have accepted plea agreements, as under current conditions this is a free choice of people. He says he considers the accusation against the government absurd and warns the government that the same approach may one day be applied to them in the future.

In the letter he writes: "Greetings, friends. I want to respond to several issues circulating in public space regarding plea bargains: I understand the temptation to criticize each other is great, however none of us is infallible. Accordingly, a position that is unacceptable to us or different does not automatically mean betrayal or the possibility of declaring anyone a traitor; under current conditions a plea agreement will be a free choice, and we must be able to understand those who took this step."

Manjgaladze writes: "I do not think that humanism and Christianity mean charging a person with a crime, detaining them unlawfully, and then creating conditions for them to confess and repent for what they did not do. I mean my own case, when the judge directly copied the prosecution's claim into the description of the charge, as if I organized the October 4, 2025 events in October 2024, that is, based on statements made a year earlier. How should I repent this absurdity? Or what should I repent?"

According to the politician, "compared to the previously declared zero sympathy, the change in the government's will is certainly noticeable, but making a person confess to what they did not do cannot be considered humanity".

Manjgaladze ends the letter with these words: "I hope that decision-makers will also realize that in the future the same axe should not be applied to them that they are chopping with today".