Prepared by Messenger Staff
Protester War Veteran Sentenced to Two Years After Charge Reclassification
Tbilisi court has sentenced protester and war veteran Anatoli Gigauri to two years in prison, following a last-minute reclassification of charges in his case.
Judge Jvebe Nachkebia announced the verdict on August 12, shifting the accusation from assaulting a police officer to the lesser charge of "resistance, threat or violence against an official." This change reduced the maximum possible penalty from seven years to six. Gigauri pleaded not guilty and claimed the case was politically motivated.
"My detention was political and my imprisonment, too, will be political," Gigauri told the court in his closing remarks, according to RFE/RL's Georgian Service. "It has nothing to do with law or justice."
The ruling comes after several delays and is the 12th prison sentence connected to anti-government protests since November 2024. Earlier this month, journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli received a similar sentence under the same downgraded charge.
Gigauri, a veteran of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war and a former serviceman in Afghanistan, was arrested on November 25 while traveling to his hometown after attending a post-election rally in Tbilisi. He alleges that police beat him during his detention.
Prosecutors presented footage from Imedi TV, recorded the night before his arrest, that appeared to show Gigauri striking a police officer. His defense team requested longer footage from the same scene, which they say was initially withheld by the broadcaster. Once released, the extended video showed Officer Vakhtang Gabunia hitting Gigauri in the head first, knocking off his cap.
Defense lawyers argued that Gigauri's slap, delivered seconds later, was an act of self-defense after the officer appeared ready to strike again.
Drug Test Results Contradict Prosecution in Nika Katsia Case
Expert testimony presented in court has challenged a key claim in the prosecution's case against Nika Katsia, a protester who faces severe drug-related charges.
According to Katsia's lawyer, Nino Lominadze, toxicology experts confirmed during Tuesday's hearing that Katsia had no traces of drug use, contradicting statements made in the indictment. "Experts who took hair samples and conducted toxicological research testified and determined that Nika Katsia was not a user of narcotic substances," Lominadze told reporters after the session. "Hair can retain information about drug use for months or even years, yet no traces were found."
Lominadze said she had requested the examination earlier in the case, but prosecutors initially refused. She added that the experts' findings were categorical and left no indication of prior drug use.
Katsia was charged under Article 260, Part 6 of the Criminal Code, which covers the illegal acquisition and possession of large quantities of narcotics. The charge carries a penalty ranging from eight to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment. Katsia was arrested on December 7.
At the latest hearing, experts invited by the defense reiterated that the hair sample analysis did not confirm any drug use.
