Prepared by Messenger Staff
Tbilisi Court Sentences Activist to 4 Years and 6 Months in Prison
The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced activist Davit Khomeriki to four years and six months in prison on charges of preparing an explosion in connection with ongoing protests. The ruling was delivered by Judge Nino Galustashvili.
Khomeriki, 26, has denied all charges. In his final statement before the verdict, he described the case against him as politically motivated and baseless. "I do not accept the charge that does not belong to me and that I did not commit! Honorable Judge, I believe the court will make an objective decision," he said during the hearing.
Khomeriki was first detained on December 2, 2024, together with his brother, during a road blockade. Initially charged under administrative law, prosecutors later accused him of preparing incendiary devices for use in protests. He was charged under Article 18-229 of the Criminal Code, which addresses preparation of a crime and carries a sentence of four to seven years in prison.
In an address to the court, Khomeriki recalled his political activism and criticized the authorities. "We are all now facing a sad reality where truth is punishable. We have been fighting together for a long time for shared values, serving one goal: to live in a country that the Georgian people deserve," he said.
He linked his activism to the events of June 2019, known as Gavrilov's Night, when protests erupted over the appearance of a Russian lawmaker in the parliament. "That bloody day played a decisive role in my life. I will not turn a blind eye, and fortunately, a large part of society thinks the same way. Our authorities are the ones causing this violence; they are afraid of our truth, they poison it, and they lead with malice," he stated.
Khomeriki rejected the prosecution's evidence, insisting it relied on fabricated testimony. "The prosecution has no evidence, yet the prosecutor keeps repeating the fabricated 'Molotov cocktail' in every sentence, citing false witnesses, most of whom I don't even know by face, and those I do know have participated in physical and psychological violence against me," he told the court.
He addressed both the judiciary and the public. "My request is that you remain independent, restore the sense of justice to the people, because the people deserve justice."
Oni Municipality Official Arrested on Bribery Charges
The Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia has arrested a representative of the mayor of Oni Municipality on allegations of accepting a bribe. Officials announced the detention during a briefing at the ministry's investigative service.
According to investigators, the official, identified as Z.J., demanded 1,800 GEL from a citizen in exchange for a permit to extract peat, a mineral resource within his jurisdiction. He was detained while receiving the money.
"The employees of the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, in coordination with the Shida Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti Regional Prosecutor's Office, as a result of operational-search activities and investigative actions, arrested Z.J., the representative of the mayor of Oni Municipality in the administrative unit of Shkmeri, on charges of accepting a bribe," the ministry stated.
Authorities said the case falls under Article 338, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of six to nine years.
The ministry added that the investigation is ongoing and stressed its commitment to pursuing "a strict criminal policy against crimes committed in the financial-economic sphere."
