Georgian courts acquit protester and sentence another to 4.5 years
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Tbilisi City Court has acquitted Tedo Abramov, a protester who was detained during the ongoing anti-government protests on drug charges. A second protester, Davit Khomeriki, was found guilty on separate charges and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.
Both hearings took place on Friday, a few hours apart.
Abramov, 22, was detained on 7 December as he was leaving home to attend a demonstration. The prosecution claimed that during a search, MDMA was found in his pocket, leading to criminal charges that carry a sentence of 8–20 years, or life in prison. He insisted police planted the drugs on him, with his lawyers insisting the case relied solely on the testimony of the arresting officers.
According to RFE/RL, when delivering the verdict, Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili stated that police testimony 'cannot be accepted unequivocally'.
Outside the court, Abramov was greeted with cheers from friends and supporters.
'No one plans to give up. There will be one more of us [free] and this will continue until all of us are free. We will bring this fight until the end, we will surely win and defeat this filthy system', Abramov told journalists outside the court.
Before Khomeriki's verdict would be announced, he said that he was happy to hear Abramov was released.
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'I congratulate him for becoming free. Probably he is the freest person among all of us', he said.
Khomeriki, 26, was accused of preparing a crime after police claimed that they found a Molotov cocktail in his bag on 2 December following his administrative detention at a protest.
He also denied the charges against him, stating that police officers who had subjected him to both psychological and physical abuse during his arrest had lied in court. His defence argued that there was no evidence against him other than police testimony.
'I am very honoured', Khomeriki said, responding to the sentence announced by Judge Nino Galustashvili.
After the verdict was announced, some of the family members and supporters in the court hall couldn't hold back their tears.
'What did this kid do, what did he explode, whom did he hit, what did he do? why is he in prison, this musician boy, why?' His mother Dedika Maisuradze said, leaving the courtroom upset and crying.
Before being arrested, Khomeriki was playing guitar and was the vocalist of a rock band, The Sinners. He also opened a bar, which is now closed.
'I thought nine months was enough for them [Georgian Dream]. My boy is a free spirit. I have a wonderful boy. We will go through this together, we will survive this too', she later told journalists.
Abramov is only the second person criminally detained during the ongoing protests to have been acquitted so far. On 6 August, Tbilisi City Court cleared Giorgi Akhobadze, who was also charged with a drug-related offense.
The latest wave of protests in Georgia began on 28 November, when Georgian Dream announced the suspension of the country's EU membership bid. The first phase of demonstrations saw heavy clashes and brutal police violence against protesters and journalists.
Hundreds of people have been detained, with criminal cases launched in over 50 instances. Several protesters have already been convicted and sentenced to years in prison. Their release — along with calls for new parliamentary elections — has become one of the demonstrators' central demands.
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OC Media
5 days ago
- OC Media
Georgian courts acquit protester and sentence another to 4.5 years
The Caucasus is changing — so are we. The future of journalism in the region is grim. Independent voices are under threat — and we're responding by building a newsroom powered by our readers. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member Tbilisi City Court has acquitted Tedo Abramov, a protester who was detained during the ongoing anti-government protests on drug charges. A second protester, Davit Khomeriki, was found guilty on separate charges and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. Both hearings took place on Friday, a few hours apart. Abramov, 22, was detained on 7 December as he was leaving home to attend a demonstration. The prosecution claimed that during a search, MDMA was found in his pocket, leading to criminal charges that carry a sentence of 8–20 years, or life in prison. He insisted police planted the drugs on him, with his lawyers insisting the case relied solely on the testimony of the arresting officers. According to RFE/RL, when delivering the verdict, Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili stated that police testimony 'cannot be accepted unequivocally'. Outside the court, Abramov was greeted with cheers from friends and supporters. 'No one plans to give up. There will be one more of us [free] and this will continue until all of us are free. We will bring this fight until the end, we will surely win and defeat this filthy system', Abramov told journalists outside the court. Before Khomeriki's verdict would be announced, he said that he was happy to hear Abramov was released. Advertisement 'I congratulate him for becoming free. Probably he is the freest person among all of us', he said. Khomeriki, 26, was accused of preparing a crime after police claimed that they found a Molotov cocktail in his bag on 2 December following his administrative detention at a protest. He also denied the charges against him, stating that police officers who had subjected him to both psychological and physical abuse during his arrest had lied in court. His defence argued that there was no evidence against him other than police testimony. 'I am very honoured', Khomeriki said, responding to the sentence announced by Judge Nino Galustashvili. After the verdict was announced, some of the family members and supporters in the court hall couldn't hold back their tears. 'What did this kid do, what did he explode, whom did he hit, what did he do? why is he in prison, this musician boy, why?' His mother Dedika Maisuradze said, leaving the courtroom upset and crying. Before being arrested, Khomeriki was playing guitar and was the vocalist of a rock band, The Sinners. He also opened a bar, which is now closed. 'I thought nine months was enough for them [Georgian Dream]. My boy is a free spirit. I have a wonderful boy. We will go through this together, we will survive this too', she later told journalists. Abramov is only the second person criminally detained during the ongoing protests to have been acquitted so far. On 6 August, Tbilisi City Court cleared Giorgi Akhobadze, who was also charged with a drug-related offense. The latest wave of protests in Georgia began on 28 November, when Georgian Dream announced the suspension of the country's EU membership bid. The first phase of demonstrations saw heavy clashes and brutal police violence against protesters and journalists. Hundreds of people have been detained, with criminal cases launched in over 50 instances. Several protesters have already been convicted and sentenced to years in prison. Their release — along with calls for new parliamentary elections — has become one of the demonstrators' central demands.
OC Media
08-08-2025
- OC Media
Georgia sentences two more protesters to 4.5 years in prison
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article The Caucasus is changing — and not for the better. With authoritarianism on the rise across the region, the threat to independent journalism is higher than ever. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced protesters detained in the early phase of the ongoing anti-government demonstrations — Davit Lomidze and Temur Zasokhashvili — to four and a half years each, accusing them of throwing Molotov cocktails at police. The ruling was passed down by Judge Nino Galustashvili on Friday. Zasokhashvili and Lomidze were convicted of 'assaulting a police officer', which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison. Publika reported that the victims in the case were riot police officers from the Interior Ministry's Special Tasks Department — none of whom had suffered any injuries. According to RFE/RL, the ministry claimed the Molotov cocktail damaged a water cannon used by police to disperse protesters. Both Zasokhashvili and Lomidze denied the charges. At the end of the court session, Galustashvili informed Zasokhashvili and Lomidze that they had the right to apply for a pardon. Advertisement 'There will be no pardon', Lomidze replied, echoing the stance of many other detained protesters who refused to seek clemency from the state. The current wave of protests in Tbilisi and other parts of Georgia began on 28 November, after the Georgian Dream government announced the suspension of the country's EU membership bid. In the early days of the demonstrations, riot police repeatedly and violently dispersed protesters using tear gas and water cannons. There were also widespread reports that protesters who were detained were being systematically beaten, robbed, and humiliated during their detention, while unidentified masked men also attacked protesters and journalists on numerous occasions. During the trial, Lomidze recounted the police violence he endured at the moment of his detention. According to him, after being detained, he was placed in a police van alongside other protesters, where his hands were tied behind his back and he was beaten. Lomidze also said that after the beating, police sprayed pepper spray inside the van and then closed the doors. According to his lawyer, police officers also stole personal belongings from Lomidze at this time. According to the defence, Zasokhashvili was also brutally beaten after being detained: he had various injuries on his body, and his face was covered in bruises. He struggled to stand on his feet and could barely open one eye. There is no publicly available information indicating that any police officer has been punished for violence against citizens. Hundreds of demonstrators have been detained, with criminal cases launched in over 50 instances. Several protesters have already been convicted and sentenced to years in prison. Their release — along with calls for new parliamentary elections — has become one of the demonstrators' central demands.
OC Media
07-08-2025
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Georgian police raid home of protester over 2021 embezzlement case
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article The Caucasus is changing — and not for the better. With authoritarianism on the rise across the region, the threat to independent journalism is higher than ever. Join our community and help push back against the hardliners. Become a member Georgian police have raided the home of Giorgi Kldonashvili, confiscating his phone, computer, and documents as part of a case in which he is accused of extorting equipment from the Georgian Technical University (GTU) in 2021. Kldonashvili, who denies the accusation, believes the case was 'resurrected' to punish him for joining anti-government protests. Kldonashvili told RFE/RL that the police searched his home on Wednesday morning as part of the extortion case. He explained that, during his time working at GTU, he founded and headed a student television station, Stunet, which the ruling Georgian Dream party had asked to distribute their political messages. He said that Stunet refused to air the political messages and that the party had been asking him to leave his position and hand it over to the management of PosTV, a far-right pro-government TV channel. Kldonashvili said that GTU accused him of embezzlement and set up a commission to investigate Stunet's inventory. He said that the police asked him to attend the investigation, and upon arriving, he found that Stunet's inventory had gone missing. GTU has told RFE/RL that the accusations were based on an examination of Stunet's annual inventory, and that Kldonashvili had 'lost property' worth approximately ₾200,000 ($74,000). Kldonashvili denies the university's accusation. 'The investigation has been ongoing since then. We have appealed to the investigation several times to either establish the crime or to say that I am innocent, but to no avail', he told RFE/RL. Advertisement 'Given my recent activity — I have been standing on Rustaveli [Avenue] almost every day, they have 'resurrected' this case', he added. 'They will probably summon me and, most likely, they will also charge me'. He added that he had been communicating with the authorities regarding the case since 2021, with their last written communication dating back to December 2024, when the Financial Police requested additional documents, which he had provided. 'Of course, I attribute all of this to my political views and activism. At the time, they started an investigation against me precisely because of this', he told RFE/RL. Kldonashvili is a member of the Protest Auditorium team — an activist initiative that, since last year, has been organising public lectures on Rustaveli Avenue, a traditional site for anti-government protests.
