Royal Opera House calls for release of Georgian bass singer jailed over democracy protests

"The Royal Opera House in London has urged Keir Starmer to intervene in the case of Paata Burchuladze, a world-renowned bass singer who has been imprisoned in Georgia since October on a charge of leading a coup against the country's authoritarian leader."

"He was arrested after joining a protest outside the presidential palace in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Last week he was given a seven-year jail sentence which Burchuladze suggested to the court was equivalent to a life sentence given his age."

"Burchuladze became a rallying figure at nightly demonstrations against the government's perceived pivot away from the west last autumn. He frequently sang to protesters from the back of a flatbed truck in freezing temperatures, and on 4 October he read out at a declaration claiming power returns to the people and calling the government illegitimate."

"In a letter to the British prime minister, the Royal Opera's director of casting, Peter Katona, claimed that Burchuladze was being punished as a warning to others who dare oppose the regime. He wrote: I am writing to draw your urgent attention to the situation of the world-renowned Georgian opera singer and our dear friend Paata Burchuladze, who is currently held in pre-trial detention and is under the criminal investigation by the pro-Russian, authoritarian regime in Georgia. The charges brought against Mr Burchuladze are entirely fabricated and unlawful."

Paata Burchuladze, a 71-year-old Georgian bass singer, has been imprisoned in Georgia since October on charges tied to leading a coup against the country’s authoritarian leadership. He was arrested after joining a protest outside the presidential palace in Tbilisi and later received a seven-year jail sentence, which he said effectively amounts to a life sentence due to his age. Burchuladze became a prominent figure in nightly demonstrations against a perceived shift away from the West, singing to protesters from a flatbed truck in freezing temperatures and reading a declaration asserting power belongs to the people. The Royal Opera House director of casting wrote to the British prime minister, claiming the charges are fabricated and that the punishment is meant as a warning to others who oppose the regime.

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