Opposition leader Melia sentenced to 18 months in prison for contempt of court

A Georgian court has sentenced opposition politician Nika Melia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, to one year and six months in prison after finding him guilty of contempt of court.

Judge Nino Elieshvili announced the verdict on Thursday.

Melia was convicted of insulting Judge Tornike Kochkiani of the Tbilisi City Court's Administrative Cases Panel during court proceedings.

The new sentence absorbs a previous prison term already being served by Melia, meaning the latest conviction does not extend his expected release date.

According to the court's ruling, Melia is still expected to be released from prison in December 2026.