Tbilisi court sentences protester Mate Devidze to 4.5 years in prison for assaulting police officer

Tbilisi City Court Judge Nino Galustashvili has sentenced Mate Devidze to four years and six months in prison on charges of assaulting police officers during a protest held on November 19, 2024. The sentence, announced on Thursday, will be calculated from the date of Devidze’s arrest.

Devidze, who was detained during early-morning demonstrations on Chavchavadze Avenue, was found guilty of attacking law enforcement with a "stick-like object" during the protest, which erupted in response to disputed election results and what protesters described as a deviation from Georgia’s path toward the European Union. The prosecutor's office claimed that Devidze struck three officers - Levan Kodelashvili, Giorgi Estateshvili, and Bidzina Zhamerashvili - who were subsequently granted victim status in the case. Devidze maintains that his actions were in self-defense.

In an emotional statement before leaving the courtroom ahead of the verdict, Devidze told supporters.
"You know that I came from Telavi to Tbilisi for the rallies because I wanted to protest the deviation from the European Union's course... I had been sleepless for about two days... When they started using force on us, I tried to get away and I could not... When those responsible for the beating of so many journalists and participants of the rallies have not been brought to justice, we are suffering because... They are covered by bloody power and money, we have faced injustice."

He concluded his statement with the words, “In search of light in endless darkness,” before walking out of the courtroom.

Mate Devidze’s case was heard by Judges Nino Galustashvili and Jvebe Nachkebia. Judge Galustashvili, 33, was appointed to the Criminal Cases Panel of the Tbilisi City Court in December 2024, after passing her judicial qualification exams in criminal law in 2023.

The final hearing was held in a small courtroom with limited seating, prompting complaints from Devidze’s supporters - many of whom were unable to attend. Some were forcibly removed by bailiffs. Among those present was Georgia’s fifth President, Salome Zourabichvili.

Devidze has been portrayed by supporters as a political prisoner. Public demonstrations outside the heavily guarded courthouse continued during and after the sentencing, with protesters demanding justice and calling on law enforcement to uphold the rule of law.

Devidze has now spent nearly seven months in custody. His defense has announced plans to appeal the verdict.