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Kvitsiani's role in the abduction of the [[United Nations]] and Georgian officials in Kodori in the 1990s, the [[2001 Kodori crisis]], and various supposed criminal activities in the region have been disputed.<ref name=lenta/><ref name="Marten"/> Lacking any legal basis the Saakashvili regime was only able to condemn him on charges of mutiny and the illegal formation of armed groups which later lead to his conviction.<ref>http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=28008</ref> During the [[Rose Revolution]] in Georgia in November 2003, he was in [[Tbilisi]] and supported Shevardnadze, after whose abdication, Kvitsiani was removed from his official position by the new President [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] in December 2004, while his unit was declared disbanded in April 2005. Kvitsiani defied the move and, on July 22, 2006, declared disobedience to the government of Georgia. In an [[2006 Kodori crisis|ensuing crisis]], the Georgian forces moved in into the valley and besieged Kvitsiani in Chkhalta. The "Hunter" group offered almost overwhelming resistance as primarily US trained special troops deployed by the government were not able to gain the upper hand.<ref>http://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-kvitsiani-russia/26818432.html</ref> During a crossfire, a local woman was killed. To avoid further casualties, Kvitsiani and the remnant of his followers were allowed through a military cordon.<ref>{{cite news|title=Officials Visit Kodori|url=http://civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=15499|accessdate=1 March 2014|newspaper=Civil Georgia|date=26 July 2007}}</ref> Georgia set up a local administration of the valley under the aegis of the [[Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia]], but [[Battle of the Kodori Valley|lost control]] over it during the August 2008 [[Russia–Georgia war]].<ref name="Marten"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Owen|first=Elizabeth|title=Georgia: Abkhazia Reasserts Control over Upper Kodori Gorge|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101608.shtml|accessdate=1 March 2014|date=October 15, 2008|agency=EurasiaNet}}</ref> Kvitsiani has repeatedly stressed and maintains to this date that the former Georgian [[United National Movement (Georgia)|leadership]] under grip of powerful outside influence has purposefully worked towards handing over the Kodory valley and that it was their plan all along.
After his ouster from the Kodori valley, Kvitsiani eventually fled to [[North Caucasus]] Russia, from where he issued threats of guerrilla warfare to the Georgian government.<ref name="Marten"/> Later caught by Russian special services he managed to escape after reportedly being tortured. He remained wanted by Georgia for charges related to formation of an illegal armed group and an armed mutiny.<ref name=civil26993/> His sister, Nora Kvitsiani, was arrested on similar charges and sentenced 6.5 years in prison, but she was released after the change of government in Georgia in October 2012.<ref name=lenta/>
== Arrest and trial ==
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