Tbilisi Court fines UNM opposition member for defying police order

Tbilisi City Court on Thursday fined Irakli Nadiradze, a member of the United National Movement opposition faction in the Tbilisi City Assembly, 2,500.

The court ruled against Nadiradze for disobeying a lawful police order in an incident that took place during his September 4 arrest in Tbilisi’s Gldani district.

Nadiradze’s lawyer, Lasha Tkeshelashvili, expressed disagreement with the ruling, labeling it politically biased and unfair. Tkeshelashvili told Radio Liberty that police officers gave “contradictory testimonies” during the court proceedings. He also noted that a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed that Nadiradze interfered in the arrest of his fellow UNM faction member, Irakli Edzgveradze.

Edzgveradze was arrested near his home on September 4 for allegedly obstructing a police operation. His court hearing is set for Friday.

Nadiradze, who was released on September 5 after signing a statement, commented on his arrest, stating that he was taken into
custody without explanation and held briefly before being released.
“They initially told me I wasn’t under arrest, but later I was taken to a facility and released with no further clarification,” he said.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs later confirmed that Edzgveradze was detained for obstructing police officers in the course of their duties, leading to the administrative charges against him.