NGOs Condemn Sentencing of Russian Protesters in Georgia as 'Politicised and Unjust'
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Several non-governmental organisations have condemned the sentencing of Russian citizens Anton Chechin, Anastasia Zinovkina, and Artiom Gribul, calling them victims of a "captured, politicised, and biased" justice system under Bidzina Ivanishvili's control.
According to a joint statement by the NGOs, any impartial court would have acquitted the three, who were sentenced by Tbilisi City Court to eight and a half years in prison for alleged "acquisition and possession" of narcotic substances.
"The verdicts are a clear manifestation of Russian influence and politicised justice," the organisations declared. "Even in Georgia, Russian citizens have fallen victim to Ivanishvili's hijacked and perverted courts. Any unbiased court would have acquitted them on the spot."
The NGOs criticised the court for relying solely on police testimony and interpreters whose neutrality was questioned by the defence. They noted that the translation bureau employing the interpreters has financial links to the Interior Ministry, and that the interpreters themselves had close personal relationships with police witnesses.
Judges Jvebe Nachkebia (Chechin's case) and Nino Galustashvili (Zinovkina and Gribul) were accused of disregarding both Strasbourg and Georgian Constitutional Court standards. According to the NGOs, the judges accepted police claims that "video recording was impossible," even though evidence suggests officers deliberately avoided filming.
The statement cited the Constitutional Court's ruling in the Keburia case, which prohibits convictions based solely on police testimony or search protocols prepared by the same officers. It also referenced seven cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights in which Georgia was found to have violated multiple articles of the Convention due to the practice of planting drugs.
The NGOs stressed that in the Russians' cases, interpreters played a decisive role. "The interpreter became the only distinguishing feature between Georgian and Russian defendants. Their testimony became the main pillar of the guilty verdict," the statement said.
The organisations concluded that Chechin, Zinovkina, and Gribul, like many other protest participants, are victims of politicised justice that violates both Georgian and international legal standards.
Anton Chechin is a known opponent of Vladimir Putin's regime and took part in anti-war demonstrations in Russia. A supporter of Alexei Navalny, he had been detained multiple times and was among 23 activists who won a case at the European Court of Human Rights against the Russian state.
Anastasia Zinovkina and Artiom Gribul are also anti-war activists who oppose the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine. The NGOs claim their prosecution in Georgia may have been intended to send a "fawning message to Moscow" or to fulfill a direct order from Russia.
The statement also detailed serious allegations of abuse. Chechin reported being beaten by police during arrest and interrogation. He suffers from a brain tumour requiring surgery, but, according to the NGOs, the state has not ensured proper medical care.
Zinovkina told the court that officer Irakli Mukhatgverdi touched her inappropriately during what she described as "not a search" and threatened her with rape. Gribul reported being threatened with physical violence, and both detainees alleged mistreatment by prison staff. Zinovkina's abuse reportedly led Gribul to begin a hunger strike.
"No authority has reacted to any of these allegations," the NGOs concluded, calling for an immediate review of the convictions and an independent investigation into the reported abuses.
