The pre-trial hearing for 11 individuals arrested during protests against the Government’s decision late last year to halt the country’s EU integration until 2028, continues at Tbilisi City Court, with the courtroom proceedings remaining semi-closed.
The trial, which involves Andro Chichinadze, Onise Tskhadadze, Guram Mirtskhulava, Jano Archaia, Luka Jabua, Ruslan Sivakov, Revaz Kiknadze, Giorgi Terashvili, Valeri Tetrashvili, Sergey Kukharchuk, and Irakli Kerashvili, has drawn significant attention, as family members and monitoring organizations remain barred from the hearings.
The session today marks the third consecutive hearing since the court partially closed proceedings after the defendants delivered speeches on March 5. At that time, the speeches were met with applause from those present, prompting Judge Irakli Shvangiradze to issue a warning. The hearings have since continued in a restricted format, with only lawyers and journalists allowed entry.
Tensions have escalated in the courtroom, with Rezo Kiknadze, a family member of one of the detainees, protesting the judge’s decision to block family attendance. Kiknadze, visibly upset, denounced the court’s actions, referring to the proceedings as a “circus” and calling Judge Shvangiradze a “slave.” Kiknadze was escorted out of the courtroom after the outburst, while Ruslan Sivakov chose to leave the session voluntarily.
Family members, including Maia Bekishvili and Ilia Kiknadze, expressed frustration over being denied access to the trial. One relative, speaking out during the session, decried the injustice of the situation, questioning the reasoning behind banning parents from seeing their children in court.
Irakli Kerashvili, a detainee, pleaded for his mother to be allowed into the courtroom before her planned departure later that evening. His request was denied by the judge.
Lawyers representing the defendants, including Shota Tutberidze, filed a motion requesting that monitoring organizations be permitted to attend the hearing. They argued that the organizations played a crucial role in ensuring transparency and accountability in the judicial process. The Public Defender’s representative, along with monitoring bodies, has also been denied access, drawing further criticism of the court’s actions.
Judge Shvangiradze rejected the motion, maintaining that it was identical to a previous request made during earlier sessions, and therefore would not be reconsidered.
Today’s hearing is expected to address the issue of admissibility of evidence.
