Tbilisi city court upholds detention of ex-PM, opposition leader Gakharia

Tbilisi City Court has upheld the detention of former Prime Minister and For Georgia opposition party founder Giorgi Gakharia in connection with the June 20 antigovernmental protest dispersal case. The decision was made by Judge Nato Khujadze.

According to Gakharia’s party press service, during the January 8 pretrial hearing, the court granted the prosecution’s request to rule several pieces of evidence submitted by the defence inadmissible. These included public statements made before Gakharia’s resignation by ruling party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Vakhtang Gomelauri and Thea Tsulukiani, in which they praised or defended Gakharia’s actions during the June 20 events.

The court also ruled inadmissible a public threat made by Ivanishvili against Gakharia in 2024, which the defence had submitted as evidence that the June 20 case represented political retaliation. In addition, the court excluded an official statement issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on October 21, 2024, stating that the simultaneous use of special police means - such as water cannons and tear gas - is not illegal under Georgian law or international norms. Despite this, the simultaneous use of such measures forms one of the key grounds for the charges against Gakharia.

Gakharia is charged under Articles 25 and 117(3)(m), and Article 333(2) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, relating to intentional damage to the health of more than two persons and abuse of official authority by a political office holder. The charges carry a possible sentence of up to 13 years in prison.