Maya Nikoleishvili Georgian politician Country: Georgia

1. Maya Nikolaishvili - Georgian Politician and Activist
2. Early Life and Career
3. Director of the Caucasus Institute of Democracy
4. Arrest and Controversy

Maya Nikolaishvili - Georgian Politician and Activist

Maya Nikolaishvili is a prominent Georgian politician and public figure. She is the leader of the opposition organization "Antisoros" and the director of the Georgian branch of the Russian Foundation for the Development of the Caucasus Institute of Democracy. She is also a forensic expert and pathologist.

Early Life and Career

Maya Nikolaishvili first gained media attention in connection with the death of Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania in February 2005. As a forensic expert and pathologist, she was the first to suggest that Zhvania's death may have been a result of foul play rather than an accident. Nikolaishvili emphasized that in her opinion, the authorities, particularly Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, deliberately attempted to cover up the murder.

In March 2005, Nikolaishvili joined the opposition movement "Forward, Georgia" led by Irakli Batiasvili, the former Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security. In October 2005, with the support of former Georgian Minister of Security Igor Giorgadze, she founded and became the leader of the "Antisoros" movement. During the founding congress of the movement, its members accused the Georgian authorities of being "Soros' puppets" and carrying out the orders of the "world backstage" to destroy the Orthodox foundations of Georgian culture and national identity.

Director of the Caucasus Institute of Democracy

Since October 2005, Nikolaishvili has also served as the director of the Georgian branch of the Russian Foundation for the Development of the Caucasus Institute of Democracy. The official goal of this organization in Georgia is to promote dialogue between Georgia and Russia.

According to some media reports, both the "Antisoros" movement and the Caucasus Institute of Democracy are part of a network of public and political organizations under the leadership of Modest Kolerov, the head of the Department for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries of the Russian Presidential Administration. According to these reports, Kolerov's activities are aimed at combating "color revolutions" in the post-Soviet space.

Arrest and Controversy

On September 6, 2006, Nikolaishvili was arrested by the Georgian police and charged with attempting to change the constitutional order by violent means. Representatives of other opposition organizations, including the leader of the Monarchist-Conservative Party, Temur Zhordania, were also detained. On September 8, Nikolaishvili confessed to preparing a state coup during a hearing at the Tbilisi City Court and was released on bail of 10,000 lari ($5,500) the following day.