Tbilisi court hands jail terms to eight pro-European protesters in group violence case

Tbilisi City Court has sentenced eight demonstrators, accused of participating in group violence, in a case stemming from protests in December 2024, following the Georgian Dream government’s decision to “delay” the country’s EU integration process until 2028. 

Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili on Tuesday ruled that Zviad Tsetskhladze, Vepkhia Kasradze, and Vasil Kardzelashvili would serve two years and six months each, following the requalification of charges under Article 226 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which covers participation in collective actions that disrupt public order.

Four other defendants - Insap Aliyev, Tornike Goshadze, Giorgi Gorgadze, Nikoloz Javakhishvili, and Irakli Miminashvili - were also sentenced to two years each under the same article.

The court’s decision marks a downgrade from the original Article 225 charges, which carry six to nine years and require proof of a pre-organised group acting in a structured way. 

The prosecution had claimed that members of the Lelo party- including 51-year-old Vasil Kardzelashvili and 53-year-old Vepkhia Kasradze - along with 20-year-old student Zviad Tsetskhladze, were organisers of the group violence, while the other defendants carried out the actions. None of the accused admitted guilt, and the trial revealed no clear links between participants, a key requirement for Article 225.

Rewaz Acharadze, lawyer for Vasil Kardzelashvili, told the press the court’s decision reflected the lack of structured organisation among the defendants and allowed for relatively lighter sentences, with some measures even permitting house arrest or six-month terms.