Tbilisi City Court has ruled to keep Zviad Tsetskhladze and seven others in custody, following their arrests on charges of organizing and participating in group violence during protests near the parliament. The decision was made by Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili.
Although today’s hearing was expected to examine prosecution evidence, the process was limited due to the remote attendance of lawyer Elguja Avsajanishvili for health reasons. As a result, no witnesses were questioned, and the court reviewed only the issue of continued detention.
Prosecutor Vazha Todua argued that the risk of the accused fleeing or committing new crimes still justified their detention. Defense lawyers opposed this, requesting release or the use of bail, and human rights activists proposed alternative measures such as electronic monitoring.
Three of the detainees—Tsetskhladze, Vepkhia Kasradze, and Vasil Kadzelashvili—face charges of organizing and leading group violence, carrying potential sentences of 6 to 9 years. The remaining five—Giorgi Gorgadze, Irakli Miminoshvili, Insaf Aliyev, Tornike Goshadze, and Nikoloz Javakhishvili—are accused of participating in group violence, with possible sentences of 4 to 6 years.
Image: IPN
