Teacher and activist Nino Datashvili has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office and by decision of the court, according to her legal team from the human rights organization PHR.
Under the court ruling, Datashvili will be forcibly transferred to a psychiatric facility if she refuses to comply. She is expected to remain there for 20 days for the assessment.
“The Prosecutor’s Office has adopted a new method of targeting activists and has unjustly and unlawfully demanded a psychiatric evaluation for Nino Datashvili. In other words, the prosecution is requesting an assessment of her mental fitness without any legal or medical basis. The court granted this motion. Nino was not given the opportunity to participate in the hearing, as she was not informed about what was being discussed. The court ruled that if she opposes the evaluation, proportional coercive measures should be used. This means the court has authorized her involuntary transfer to a psychiatric facility,” her lawyer stated.
According to Datashvili’s lawyers, the detained teacher suffers from serious spinal conditions, including disc damage, herniated discs, and sciatica. One of the accompanying symptoms of these conditions (and not a separate diagnosis) is emotional lability — rapid shifts in mood and emotion — which was observed in Nino Datashvili in 2019.
Her lawyers say the Prosecutor’s Office is using this symptom to stigmatize her, knowing that even the mention of psychiatric evaluation can trigger negative public perception due to widespread stigma around mental health in society.
“Crying and heightened emotions are not a diagnosis; they are symptoms related to Nino’s spinal condition,” her lawyers emphasize.
The legal team believes the psychiatric evaluation is being used as a tool to justify extending her pre-trial detention. Nino’s next court hearing is scheduled for August 7, where the court will decide whether her pre-trial detention should be extended.
Nino Datashvili, a civic activist and a teacher of civic education, was arrested on June 20 on charges of assaulting a court bailiff (part 3, Article 3532 of Georgia’s Criminal Code). The Prosecutor’s Office is trying to classify the incident as an assault, which occurred during Nino’s forcible removal from the courtroom by bailiffs. The charge carries a penalty of a fine or imprisonment for 4 to 7 years.
