Court of Appeals Sentences Gogi Tsulaia to 4 Years in Prison

The Tbilisi Court of Appeals overturned the decision delivered by the first instance court, by finding Gogi Tsulaia, a former member of the Free Georgia party, guilty of a violent act of a sexual nature, and sentenced him to 4 years in prison. 

In November 2022, the Tbilisi City Court fully acquitted Gogi Tsulaia of the charge of a violent act of a sexual nature (Criminal Code of Georgia, Article 138, I) but found him guilty of violence causing physical pain (Article 126, I) and sentenced him to 6 months in prison. Considering that he had already been in pretrial detention for up to 4 months, Tsulaia had to remain in prison for a little more than 2 months. 

According to the “Netgazeti” agency, Tsulaia is currently in France. After the first instance court’s decision, Tsulaia’s lawyer, Valeri Gelbakhiani, said he planned to seek political asylum abroad. 

Gogi Tsulaia was arrested on March 17, 2021, in Tbilisi on charges of violence against a woman. Later, the Prosecutor’s Office charged him with an act of violence of a sexual nature. On March 19, the Tbilisi City Court ruled on Tsulaia’s pretrial detention.  

Tsulaia spent about three and a half months in pretrial detention and was released on July 1, 2021, on a bail of 6,000 GEL. 

It is noteworthy that Gogi Tsulaia’s detention was preceded by his verbal insult (swearing) against Bera Ivanishvili in reaction to the covert recordings that had been aired by the TV Piveli channel, which let the opposition believe that Tsulaia’s pretrial detention indicated “selective justice” and “a political motive of the government.” 

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