Two pro-European protesters sentenced to over four years in prison by Tbilisi court

A Tbilisi city court has sentenced two protesters, Davit Lomize and Temur Zasokhashvili, to four years and six months in prison for assaulting police officers during anti-government demonstrations last year. 

The verdict was delivered by Judge Nino Galustashvili. Both men were found guilty under Article 353¹, Part 1 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which relates to violence against law enforcement officers in the line of duty. The charge carries a penalty of between four and seven years’ imprisonment.

Lomize and Zasokhashvili were arrested on 1 December 2024 amid a wave of protests in the capital sparked by the Georgian Dream government’s decision that year to delay the country’s EU integration until 2028. 

During the final hearing, both defendants used their right to a closing statement and pleaded not guilty.

“I consider myself innocent,” said one of the defendants, maintaining that their actions were misrepresented by the prosecution.