Court Jails Two for Three Years for Camera Damage During Protests
Tbilisi City Court sentenced activists Daniel Mumladze and Guram Khutashvili to three years in prison for damaging surveillance cameras during protests on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue in December 2024.
Mumladze, 23, and Khutashvili, 26, were detained in December on separate occasions but under the same charges. Both admitted to the offense and sought a plea bargain that would grant their release on parole. However, the prosecutors rejected the deal.
Judge Lili Mskhiladze rejected the defense’s motion to reduce the jail term by one-third. According to Publika, she cited frequent “violent activities against state interests” as the reason for denying a more lenient ruling.
Defense lawyer Otar Purtseladze told Civil.ge that the ruling will be appealed.
Protests in Georgia have been ongoing since November 28, when the Georgian Dream government announced abandonment of the EU path a month after contested elections. More than 50 activists, including journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, have been detained. Protesters believe them to be political prisoners.
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