Journalist Nika Katsia after release: ‘I feel great discomfort, it is a joy mixed with sadness’

Georgian journalist Nika Katsia, who was acquitted and released from prison on Wednesday, said his nine-month detention was the result of an unfair judicial system, stressing he had been innocent from the start.

“Why did I sit in prison for nine months? The court is not objective - I am innocent. An objective court is one that does not serve the prosecution”, Katsia said after his release.

He expressed mixed emotions, describing his freedom as a moment of “joy mixed with sadness.” He thanked his supporters and said others remained unjustly imprisoned alongside him.

“This is not only about me - there are many others who share the same fate. We reflect the face of Georgia [...] my mission now is to embrace everyone with the love we need to save our country”, he said.

Katsia was detained on December 7 last year during anti-government protests and faced charges of illegal purchase and possession of a large quantity of narcotics, an offense carrying a sentence of eight to 20 years or life imprisonment. Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili acquitted him and ordered his immediate release from the courtroom.