Court Remands in Custody 11 Protesters as Supporters Rally Outside
On 10 January, Tbilisi City Court Judge Ketevan Jachvadze remanded in custody 11 people arrested during a pro-European rally near the Parliament in December last year. The defendants were charged with participating in group violence during the protests (Part 2 of Article 225 of the Georgian Criminal Code), which carries a penalty of 4 to 6 years’ imprisonment. They will remain in custody until March. The defendants, whose cases were combined into one, include actor Andro Chichinadze, comedian Onise Tskhadadze, as well as Guram Mirtskhulava, Luka Jabua, Jano Archaya, Ruslan Sivakov, Revaz Kiknadze, Giorgi Terashvili, Valeri Tetrashvili, Sergei Sivakov, and Irakli Kerashvili.
This decision was followed by dissatisfaction from the public present in the session hall. Those present chanted “slaves”, “Russians!”. The next court hearing is scheduled for March 5.
The protest continued throughout the day in the courtyard of Tbilisi City Court, as striking theater workers, civil society activists, and politicians gathered to express solidarity with Andro Chichinadze, Onise Tskhadadze, and nine others detainees.
During the hearing, the defenსe lawyers called for the detainees to be released without pre-trial detention and asked for bail as an alternative. However, the prosecution maintained its position and asked the court to remand all 11 in custody.
Prosecutor Vazha Todua stated that the detainees were charged with offenses against public order and security, in particular participation in acts of group violence. The prosecutors said that there were a number of investigative measures to be taken in the case, which the defendants could interfere with if they were released.
Some of the arrested addressed the court. Revaz Kiknadze, one of the defendants, said during the court proceeding: “Group violence? I don’t understand what ‘group’ or ‘violence’ even means in this accusation. I didn’t belong to any group, nor was I involved in any violence. I saw these good and patriotic people for the first time in court; I’ve never interacted with them. I’ve had no correspondence, no phone calls, nothing from any of the 50 people arrested.”
“It’s a very strange process… It reminded me of Jozef K., a character from Kafka, who is undergoing a trial but has no idea what is happening to him. This novel is about uncertainty. The book itself is about the feeling of uncertainty. I always wondered how this feeling could be brought to life in practice, and somehow it happened, and it’s quite strange. I’ll add one thing: we, as humans, are shaped not only by our past but also by how we perceive and envision the future,” said another defendant Andro Chichinadze during the hearing.
Also Read:
- 10/01/2025 – Liveblog: Resistance 2025 | Protesters Rally at Tbilisi City Court in Support of Detainees
- 03/01/2025 – Testimonies of Police Brutality During Pro-European Rallies
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)