Civic educator and activist Nino Datashvili has been released from pre-trial detention after the Tbilisi City Court approved bail of 5,000 Georgian lari on Wednesday. The decision follows a motion by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia citing her severely deteriorating health, including the need for two spinal surgeries.
Datashvili was arrested on June 20, 2025 and remanded in custody on charges of assaulting a court bailiff during anti-government protest hearings, connected to a June 9 incident at the Tbilisi City Court. Lawyers and human-rights groups had raised alarm early on about her serious spinal condition—and how her health deteriorated sharply while in detention. The Prosecutor’s Office officially requested that her detention be replaced with bail “taking into account the defendant’s health condition.” At the hearing, Datashvili attended remotely because she remains unable to appear in person due to her condition. She thanked prison staff and medical teams but tearfully confirmed she still required two operations.
Her case has drawn added attention not only because of the health concerns but also because many observers view it as part of a broader pattern of judicial-political pressures on activists in Georgia. In August 2025, a court approved an involuntary psychiatric examination for her—a move criticized by defenders of human rights as possibly misusing psychiatry in politically sensitive cases. The severity of the charges and her prolonged detention compared with others facing less serious alleged offences has sparked further criticism regarding selective enforcement and proportionality in the justice system.
With bail approved, Datashvili will await further court proceedings outside detention, though her health remains precarious and the need for surgical treatment remains urgent. Activist and civil-society groups are expected to continue monitoring her case closely, raising urgent demands for access to medical care and highlighting broader worries over treatment of political detainees in Georgia. The case will also likely continue to attract international scrutiny as it sits at the intersection of health rights, criminal justice and freedom-of-expression concerns.
