UNM lawyer alleges violation of fair trial in Khabeishvili case

Lasha Tkesheladze, a lawyer for the opposition United National Movement, on Saturday criticised the judicial process surrounding the detention of the party’s Political Council Chair, Levan Khabeishvili, calling it a violation of the right to a fair trial.

“The same judge who issued the ruling on Khabeishvili’s detention is now set to rule on the motion for his pre-trial measure. This is a direct violation of the right to a fair trial,” Tkesheladze wrote on social media.

He stressed that under European Court of Human Rights practice, such a situation breaches Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial.

Khabeishvili’s hearing at Tbilisi City Court has been scheduled for 18:00 local time.