Judge Rejects International OSCE Report in Gakharia Case
By Messenger Staff
Monday, March 30, 2026
The Tbilisi City Court has declined to include a report from the OSCE Moscow Mechanism in the criminal case against former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, according to his legal team.
Berdia Sichinava, the Executive Secretary of the Gakharia For Georgia party and lawyer for the former official, stated that the court refused to attach the international findings during a hearing on March 27. The defense argued that the report specifically identifies the cases against Gakharia as "political persecution" and recommends terminating "politically motivated criminal cases."
The defense criticized the court for prioritizing a domestic conclusion from a commission led by Tea Tsulukiani over the international document.
"You know that during today's trial, we requested the attachment of the report prepared within the framework of the Moscow Mechanism, which directly states in black and white that Giorgi Gakharia is being persecuted for political reasons in connection with the June 20 and Chorchana cases," Sichinava said.
He added that the OSCE findings were apparently not considered a "reliable source" by the prosecutor's office or the court.
"However, we would like to remind you that assessment documents, such as Tsulukiani's conclusion, are more acceptable and reliable for the prosecutor's office than the special conclusion and report prepared by the OSCE mission," Sichinava stated.
The criminal proceedings against Gakharia involve charges related to the dispersal of the June 20, 2019, protests and the Chorchana border episode. The former Prime Minister has consistently denied the allegations, characterizing them as a personal and political vendetta by the ruling party.
