20 opposition parties of Georgia released a joint statement in which they said that the conviction of a co-founder of the Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua has political grounds.

According to the parties, Rurua’s sentencing to 4 years in prison for the alleged illegal possession and carrying of firearms contradicts the March 8 election agreement between the ruling party and the opposition.

“The March 8 agreement would have seen the release of Giorgi Rurua and said that detentions on political grounds are unacceptable. Rurua’s conviction is the political decision of Bidzina Ivanishvili and shows the obedience of the judiciary to the ruling party. Rurua’s release will decrease threats of tension during the complicated election campaign for the state”, - reads the statement.