Appeals Court upholds five-year prison sentence for protester Giorgi Okmelashvili

The Georgian Court of Appeals has upheld the five-year prison sentence for Giorgi Okmelashvili, who was detained during protests against the controversial “Russian law” on foreign agents. The decision, announced on April 28 by Judge Giorgi Keratishvili, reaffirms the earlier ruling of the Tbilisi City Court issued on February 3, 2025.

Okmelashvili, a former rugby player, advertising company founder, and director, was arrested on May 15, 2024, during a rally near the Georgian Parliament. He was charged under Article 353 (violence against a police officer) of the Georgian Criminal Code, after allegedly assaulting Ministry of Internal Affairs officers during the May 13 protests. He was formally remanded to custody on May 17, 2024.

Initially, Okmelashvili also faced a separate charge of possession of a small quantity of narcotic substances. However, on January 15, 2025, the defense successfully petitioned the court to dismiss the drug-related charge, a move supported by the prosecution.

Despite the defense team’s efforts to overturn the verdict and declare Okmelashvili innocent, the Appeals Court ruled to leave the five-year sentence in force. Okmelashvili’s lawyer has stated that they plan to appeal the decision further and take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Meanwhile, Okmelashvili’s detention conditions have also raised concerns. On March 24, 2025, it became known that his risk status was raised from “medium” to “high,” affecting his incarceration conditions. Although the initial plan was to transfer him to a semi-open prison facility, he was instead placed in a closed facility — a change his defense team claims they learned about “accidentally.”