Sopho Japaridze Denies Allegations of Meeting with Former Security Chief Grigol Liluashvili
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, October 13, 2025
Sopho Japaridze, a member of the United National Movement, has denied claims that she met with former head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili, calling the reports "a big lie."
Responding to media speculation, Japaridze stated that she has never had any contact with Liluashvili and that no such meeting ever took place. "Since there is a high public interest, I want to once again and clearly state what I told the Formula TV journalist: the story that I participated in the meeting attended by the former head of the State Security Service, Grigol Liluashvili, is a big lie," she wrote on social media.
"Not only did the meeting not take place with my participation, but no meeting of any kind was even planned with my participation. I have never had any contact with Grigol Liluashvili, I do not even know him at all, and I have answered all the questions asked by the Formula journalist. The source has a clear intention to divert attention in another direction," Japaridze added.
She emphasized that there is "no fact of a meeting with Grigol Liluashvili in nature" involving her, insisting that such claims are entirely false.
Her comments came after Formula TV reported, citing an unnamed source, that Liluashvili was allegedly regarded as a "double agent" among the organizers of the October 4 rally. According to the report, Liluashvili had allegedly built trust with Levan Khabeishvili, one of the leaders of the National Movement, proposed the October 4 plan, and at the same time provided information to the State Security Service.
The report further claimed that two meetings had taken place with Liluashvili - the first attended by Khabeishvili, and the second by Murtaz Zodelava, with Sopho Japaridze allegedly present at both.
Japaridze has categorically denied these allegations.
Meanwhile, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze commented on Japaridze's departure abroad, criticizing what he called the behavior of "radical oppositionists."
"People, mostly ordinary activists but also leaders, were sacrificed to prison. Now some are in hiding, some are evading responsibility for the rally they helped announce, and some have gone on vacation altogether," Kobakhidze said. "Sopho Japaridze's departure speaks to the nature of radical oppositionists. They are foreign agents, and therefore, they have no morals. The only thing driving them is external instructions and the dictates of their foreign patrons."
Kobakhidze said that moral responsibility for the events of October 4 lies with everyone who participated. "Everyone knows the announcement that was made. It was declared as a coup rally. Approximately 5,000 to 7,000 people attended fully consciously. Moral responsibility for everything that happened lies with every single person who was there," he said.
He added that those involved in acts of violence would face legal consequences. "A certain number of people have been identified, and legal measures will be applied to them. Everyone saw the crime that took place, and the state's response is simply our responsibility," he noted.
Kobakhidze also dismissed the opposition's ongoing protests, saying they lacked real support. "There is no protest momentum in Georgia. There are 500 foreign agents through whom they try to keep some spark alive. In reality, there is no protest in society, which is confirmed by the fact that Georgian Dream received 82% of the votes in these elections. In such a situation, attempts at artificial protests have no prospect of success," he said.
