Prepared by Messenger Staff
Tbilisi Court Keeps 12 Defendants in Pretrial Detention
Tbilisi City Court has decided to keep twelve people in pretrial detention following their arrests related to the October 4 events near the Atoneli Palace. Judge Meia Melkadze approved the prosecution's request to maintain the measure.
Prosecutors argued that the defendants posed a risk of fleeing and could commit new offenses if released. Defense lawyers rejected these claims and said the case materials do not show evidence of coordination or prior agreement among the defendants. They asked the court to replace detention with bail. Some lawyers suggested bail of 5,000 GEL, while others left the amount for the court to set. The lawyers for Temur Kurtsikidze and Giorgi Mumlaze asked for bail of 15,000 GEL each.
Several defendants, including Beka Kelekhsashvili, Mamuka Labuchidze, Guriela Kardava, Vakhtang Fitskhelauri, Aleksandre Khabeishvili, Abo Naverian, Anton Uper, Avtandil Surmanidze, Giorgi Muladze and Temur Kurtsikidze, are charged under Article 19 222, Paragraph 2(a) of the Criminal Code. The charge concerns attempts to seize or blockade strategic or important sites as part of a group. They also face charges under Article 225, Paragraph 2 for participating in group violence.
Mariam Mekantsishvili has been charged under Article 226 for organizing group actions.
Nana Sander is charged under Article 225, Paragraph 1 for organizing group violence, which carries a sentence of six to nine years. She is also charged under Article 317 for calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and the removal of state authorities, which carries a sentence of up to nine years.
ECHR Rejects Complaints in Two Georgian Cases
The European Court of Human Rights has declared the complaints in Pirtskhalava and Y. v. Georgia and Goginashvili v. Georgia inadmissible. The Ministry of Justice reported the decision and said the court accepted its position.
The applicants claimed that a Supreme Court judge involved in their cases was biased. In the Pirtskhalava and Y. case they also argued that judge Sh. T. had not been appointed properly. The court rejected all three complaints about the judge's impartiality.
In its decision, the court reviewed judicial changes introduced in Georgia since 2012. It looked at lifetime tenure for judges, new rules for appointing and promoting them, stronger independence for the High Council of Justice and constitutional changes affecting the selection of Supreme Court judges.
The case involving Irakli Pirtskhalava was connected to the killing of Butha Robakidze. Pirtskhalava also said his trial was unfair because he could not question certain witnesses or challenge evidence. The court found no sign that his right to a fair trial had been breached and dismissed these claims as clearly unfounded.
