Serbian citizens summoned to Georgian State Security Service in 'coup d'état case'

According to government media, Serbian citizens were summoned to the State Security Service of Georgia as part of the ongoing investigation of the coup d’état case. It is also reported that these persons are members of the organization “Kanvas”.

According to TV Imedi, in recent days members of “Kanvas” have held trainings and various meetings related to civil activism in Georgia.

Giorgi Meladze, the director of “Kanvas” and associate professor of Ilia State University, explained that they are not planning any coup d’état and the goal of the state security service is just to intimidate active people.

“I am currently the director of Kanvas Georgia and I am not planning any coup d’état. I have worked with many groups and activists over the past 20 years, and it is very important for me to think and act together with active people in civil society to create better systems of governance. And no matter what, I will continue my work spreading knowledge about nonviolent campaigns!” – says Meladze.

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On 18 September, the Georgian State Security Service published a statement in which it mentioned that there were plans to repeat the scenario of the Ukrainian Euromaidan and forcibly change the government in Georgia.

The authors of the plan are named as the deputy head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Giorgi Lortkipanidze, who was deputy interior minister during Saakashvili’s government; Saakashvili’s former security guard Mikhail Baturin and Mamuka Mamulashvili, who is a member of Saakashvili’s inner circle and commander of the Georgian Legion operating in Ukraine.

According to the SGB, the Kanvas organization, the core of which is the Serbian organization Otpor, is used to train youth groups.