Shalva Natelashvili

Shalva Natelashvili (born 1958 February 17) is chairman and founder of Georgian Labour Party known for his for his populist and criticism of the current President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. He is married and has 2 children.

Born in the northern mountain town of Dusheti, Shalva Natelashvili, graduated in law from Tbilisi State University and continued post-graduate study in the Diplomatic Academy of Foreign Ministry of the Soviet Union. After working in the General Prosecutor’s Office he became MP in 1992 and remained in the Parliament until 1999. He was among the group of MPs who participated in development of Georgia’s Constitution. In 1995 he founded the Georgian Labour Party, which gradually turned into Eduard Shevardnadze’s major opposition force, and now acts as Chairman of that party. He supported Shevardnadze's government during the 2003 Rose Revolution, however, and later was in a staunch opposition to President Mikheil Saakashvili. He was involved in the 2007 Georgian demonstrations against the government which turned violent on as police disperse the protesters on November 7, 2007. On November 8, 2007, Nika Gvaramia, deputy chief prosecutor of Georgia, announced that Natelashvili has been charged with espionage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. Charges have been brought, he said, based on evidence obtained through surveillance on employees of the Russian embassy in Tbilisi, whom the Georgian side has described as operatives of the Russian intelligence service. The General Prosecutor’s Office, however, said on November 10 "investigators have decided to question Natelashvili in the status of witness" while President Saakashvili promised that he would not be arrested and he could freely run for presidency in the January early polls.