Tbilisi Court Jails Group of Eight Protesters over ‘Disrupting Public Order’
Eight protesters detained during December rallies were sentenced to 2–2.5 years in prison after a court found them guilty of organizing and participating in a group activity “disrupting public order,” following a last-minute reclassification of the original, more serious organized group violence charges.
Tbilisi City Court Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili announced the verdict against eight defendants on September 2, sentencing three of them – Zviad Tsetskhladze, Vepkhia Kasradze, and Vasil Kadzelashvili – to two years and six months in jail each, and the others – Giorgi Gorgadze, Irakli Miminoshvili, Insaf Aliev, Tornike Goshadze, and Nikoloz Javakhishvili – to two years in prison each.
The case of the so-called “smiling boys” – a group in which half of the defendants were under 21 – has drawn widespread attention and is one of two high-profile protest-related organized group violence trials.
Tsetskhladze, Kasradze, and Kedzelashvili were initially charged with organizing group violence, while the remaining defendants faced charges of participating in group violence, all under Article 225 of the Georgian Criminal Code, carrying a penalty of 4 to 6 years in prison. The judge, however, reduced the charges on September 2 to “organisation of group activity disrupting public order or active involvement in it” under Article 226 of the Criminal Code, punishable by a fine or community service or corrective labour, or by house arrest for a term of six months to two years or imprisonment for a term of up to three years.
Prosecutors had alleged that Tsetskhladze, Kasradze, and Kadzelashvili organized and led group violence, while the remaining defendants took part by assaulting riot police during the November–December protests. The defense rejected the charges, arguing there was no evidence the group knew each other, had coordinated any attacks, or acted as a group during the rallies, and further challenged the evidence against individual defendants as either insufficient or edited.
“The charges were incomprehensible to me, and I met these boys in the court boxes,” Giorgi Gorgadze, 21, told the court in his closing remarks on August 27, according to the written records made by RFE/RL Georgian Service. “I didn’t even know that we were prosecuted in the same case […] I expect a guilty verdict […] Justice has been lost in this country.”
Seven of the eight defendants were arrested on December 4, 2024. Javakhishvili was detained earlier, on November 30, during the first days of demonstrations that erupted after Georgian Dream announced halting the EU integration process. All were charged under Article 225 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which carries four to six years in prison for organizing, leading, or participating in group violence.
The defense argued that the charges and detention were politically motivated. Alleging multiple inconsistencies in the claims of prosecutors and police witness testimonies, lawyers said video footage did not show the defendants acting as a group, no messages or social media ties proved coordination, and no evidence showed they harmed police officers.
Individual Circumstances
Zviad Tsetskhladze, 20, a law student leading activist group Dafioni that was at the forefront of youth-led spring protests, was charged with organizing group violence and detained on December 4, 2024. Prosecutors alleged he organized protests on November 28-30, planned and led the violence, and had disclosed his plans on November 30. Lawyers say he was in Adjara on November 27–29 due to his grandfather’s death and did not attend protests. The prosecution’s evidence rests on three videos. One shows Tsetskhladze explaining how to use a shield for defensive purposes. A second is an interview he gave to Mtavari TV. The third, published by the activist group Dafioni, is a 14-minute video from November 30 in which Tsetskhladze, beaten by special forces, describes and discusses methods of resisting police. That video, however, had no sound. The defense has argued the video is insufficient and fails to support a conviction.
Vepkhia Kasradze, 54, a member of the opposition Lelo for Georgia party, and Vasil Kadzelashvili, 51, were charged with organizing and leading group violence and detained on December 4, 2024. Prosecutors cited as evidence a video that appears to capture a casual exchange between Kasradze and Kadzelashvili during the rally, allegedly discussing attacks on properties owned by Georgian Dream officials and their families. The defense disputes the recording’s authenticity, questions the legality of how it was obtained, and challenges its relevance in proving that the two men led other defendants into violence.
Giorgi Gorgadze, 21, was charged with participation in group violence and detained on December 4, 2024, at his home. Prosecutors allege he took part in violent acts during the pro-EU protests, while the lawyer argued the case has legal and logical flaws, stressing the absence of any evidence of organized group violence, that Gorgadze received or gave instructions, or that he injured anyone. The main evidence is a video showing a masked man in grey pants and a black top throwing an unidentified object; at one point, the man briefly removes his mask, which prosecutors say enabled Gorgadze’s identification. The defense argues it is impossible to determine what was thrown, at whom, or whether anyone was injured. According to the defense, while police reports and medical records of injured officers are included, none link the injuries directly to Gorgadze.
Irakli Miminoshvili, 19, was charged with participation in group violence and detained on December 4, 2024, at his home. Prosecutors allege he threw a stone at police officers during the pro-EU protests as part of the group violence. The prosecution’s main evidence is a video clip showing a masked man in black clothing throwing objects twice, with other protesters visible in the background. However, the defense presented findings from the Samkharauli Bureau, a key public forensics agency, which concluded that the video had been edited, including by inserting scenes with police, to suggest what lawyers argue is an unverified impact of Miminoshvili’s actions on law enforcement.
Tornike Goshadze, 26, was charged with participation in group violence and detained on December 4, 2024. The prosecutor alleged he threw a stone at the police officer. The lawyers argued that the prosecution failed to present any conclusive evidence proving violence, property damage, or injury caused by Goshadze. As in Miminoshvili’s case, the Samkharauli Bureau forensics report cited by the defense and accepted by the prosecution found that the video evidence had been edited by compiling separate episodes. The lawyers emphasized that no witness testified to seeing Goshadze harm police or damage property, and even the alleged victims pointed to locations different from where Goshadze and Miminoshvili were supposedly present.
Insaf Aliev, 34, was charged with participation in group violence and detained on December 4, 2024. Prosecutors allege he threw a stone at police while taking part in the pro-EU protests. His lawyers argue the charge is baseless, stressing that Aliev, an ethnic Azerbaijani who has difficulty speaking and understanding Georgian, could not have coordinated with other protesters and was on Rustaveli Avenue “by accident” after being sprayed with water [riot police were using water cannons during the dispersals]. Aliev’s lawyers said the prosecution failed to present evidence proving Aliev’s organized participation or any prior coordination with others, adding that the videos show him acting alone and spontaneously. The main evidence is a video recording of a man in a black hoodie, whom prosecutors identify as Aliev, throwing an object and briefly hiding behind barricades.
Nikoloz Javakhishvili, 20, was charged with participation in group violence and detained on November 30, 2024. Prosecutors allege he threw a pyrotechnic device at police officers during the pro-EU protests. His lawyer argued that the video used as evidence is edited, with repeated and spliced clips from different days, and does not show group violence or coordination. The defense also noted that the footage does not match the inspection protocols prepared by investigators, and that the suspect shown in the video appears to launch the firework into the air rather than toward the police.
23 persons in total detained in the context of the pro-EU and anti-Georgian Dream protests since last November have faced jail sentences, including: Zviad Tsetskhladze, Vepkhia Kasradze, Vasil Kadzelashvili, Giorgi Gorgadze, Irakli Miminoshvili, Insaf Aliev, Tornike Goshadze, Nikoloz Javakhishvili, Anton Chechin, Archil Museliantsi, Davit Khomeriki, Anatoli Gigauri, Temur Zasokhashvili, Davit Lomidze, Mzia Amaghlobeli, Anri Kakabadze, Anri Kvaratskhelia, Saba Jikia, Giorgi Mindadze, Mate Devidze, Denis Kulanin, Daniel Mumladze and Guram Khutashvili.
Seven more remain in prison after being convicted over their involvement in the spring 2024 protests against the foreign agents law, including Omar Okribelashvili, Saba Meparishvili, Pridon Bubuteishvili, Davit Koldari, Giorgi Kuchuashvili, Giorgi Okmelashvili, and Irakli Megvinetukhutsesi. Two more persons – Ucha Abashidze and Mariam Iashvili, were arrested in a similar context but convicted for illegally obtaining and storing secrets of private life.
Eight individuals, including six active opposition politicians, were recently sentenced to prison terms of several months for defying the Georgian Dream investigative commission.
Two persons- Tedo Abramovi and Giorgi Akhobadze – have been acquitted of serious drug charges linked to the protests and activism.
Politpatimrebi.ge, a civic platform documenting the cases of detainees, currently lists over 60 persons who were jailed in 2024-2025 and are considered political prisoners.
The verdicts come as no police officer has been held accountable despite numerous documented abuses during dispersals. Dozens of protesters remain in pre-trial custody, awaiting their rulings on similar or other protest-related charges.
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