Tbilisi City Court has upheld the application of pre-trial detention imposed in absentia on former Prime Minister and leader of the Gakharia for Georgia party, Giorgi Gakharia, in connection with the June 20 case.
The decision was delivered by Judge Nato Khujadze, who considered motions submitted by both the prosecution and the defense during the hearing.
As part of the proceedings, the court reviewed requests related to the admissibility of evidence. The Prosecutor’s Office sought to have public statements made prior to Gakharia’s resignation by several high-ranking officials declared inadmissible. These included statements by Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, parliamentary majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze, former Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, and former Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani.
The court granted the prosecution’s motion, ruling that the defense-submitted materials would not be admitted into the case. At the same time, all evidence presented by the prosecution was fully accepted by the court.
Gakharia has been charged in relation to the events of June 20, 2019, under Article 25 and Article 117, Part 3, Subparagraph “m,” as well as Article 333, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The charges concern the intentional infliction of serious harm to the health of more than two persons and abuse of official authority by an individual holding a state political position. These offenses carry a potential sentence of up to 13 years in prison.
The June 20 case refers to the violent dispersal of anti-government protests outside the Parliament of Georgia in 2019, when Gakharia was serving as Minister of Internal Affairs. The operation resulted in numerous injuries, including severe eye injuries sustained by several demonstrators due to the use of rubber bullets. The events triggered widespread public outrage and ultimately led to Gakharia’s resignation from the post of Interior Minister later that year.
Gakharia has consistently denied responsibility for unlawful actions during the dispersal and has characterized the case as politically motivated. He is currently outside Georgia, and the preventive measure of detention has been applied in absentia.
The ruling has once again sparked debate over accountability for the June 20 events, which remain one of the most controversial episodes in Georgia’s recent political history.
Image: Radio Liberty
