Tbilisi City Court has upheld the pre-trial detention of former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition party For Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, in connection with the so-called Chorchana episode, a case linked to developments along the occupation line with Georgia’s Russian-controlled Tskhinvali region.
The ruling was delivered by Judge Valerian Bugianishvili, who granted the prosecution’s motion to keep Gakharia in custody pending trial. The decision means that the former prime minister will remain in pre-trial detention as the investigation and court proceedings continue.
Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office says the charges stem from events in late August and early September 2019, when Gakharia was serving as Minister of Internal Affairs before later becoming Prime Minister. Investigators allege that he unilaterally ordered the installation of an additional police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana, located in the Khashuri municipality close to the occupation line separating Georgian-controlled territory from the Russian-backed de facto authorities in Tskhinvali.
The prosecution claims that the move was not coordinated appropriately and was subsequently used by representatives of the occupation regime as a pretext to escalate tensions on the ground. In particular, on September 5, 2019, illegal armed formations of the de facto Tskhinvali authorities reportedly occupied strategic heights in territory previously controlled by the Georgian side.
As a result, approximately 100 hectares of forest land allegedly came under the control of occupation forces. The Prosecutor’s Office states that the situation created significant security risks, including the movement of heavy military equipment toward nearby settlements. According to the indictment, residential homes in the villages of Obi and Tsnelisi also fell within the newly occupied area, heightening fears among the local population and raising concerns about the risk of armed confrontation.
Gakharia has been charged under Articles 25 and 117, Part 3, Subparagraph “m,” as well as Article 333, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The charges relate to alleged abuse of official authority and actions resulting in grave consequences, offenses that carry a potential sentence of up to 13 years in prison if convicted.
The Chorchana episode was widely discussed in 2019, as tensions along the occupation line periodically flare amid ongoing “borderization” processes, during which Russian and de facto forces install fences, barriers, and so-called border signs deeper into Georgian-controlled territory. At the time, the Georgian government defended the establishment of the police checkpoint as a necessary security measure to prevent further encroachment.
Gakharia and his supporters have repeatedly rejected the accusations, describing the case as politically motivated. The former prime minister, who resigned in 2021 citing political disagreements within the ruling Georgian Dream party, has since positioned himself as an opposition figure and critic of the current government.
In addition to the Chorchana case, criminal proceedings are also ongoing against Gakharia in connection with the June 20, 2019 events, when police dispersed anti-government protesters outside the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi. That crackdown, which resulted in numerous injuries, remains one of the most controversial episodes in Georgia’s recent political history.
The court’s decision to uphold pre-trial detention in the Chorchana case is likely to intensify political debate, as the proceedings unfold against a backdrop of heightened polarization and ongoing disputes over accountability, national security, and the handling of relations with Russia and the occupied territories.
