The Tbilisi Court of Appeals has upheld the prison sentence handed down to 21-year-old Mate Devidze, confirming his conviction for assaulting police officers.
The ruling was delivered by Judge Nino Chakhnashvili who rejected the appeal and left in force the decision of the court of first instance. As a result, Devidze will serve a sentence of four years and six months in prison. The defendant was not present when the verdict was announced.
Devidze was convicted under Article 353, Part 1 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which criminalizes assault on a police officer and a prison sentence ranges from four to seven years.
The prosecution stated that the incident involved physical violence against three police officers, Bidzina Zhamerashvili, Levan Kodalashvili, and Giorgi Estatishvili, who are recognized as victims in the case. Prosecutors stated that Devidze struck the officers with a flagpole.
