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Bacho Akhalaia has been charged with a new offense following a statement he made in court. He has been charged under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which criminalizes calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and the toppling of state authorities. This article carries a penalty of up to three …
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On January 22, the Tbilisi City Court, presided over by Judge Irakli Khuskivadze, held another hearing in one of the October 4 cases involving ten defendants and kept the in detention. This group of defendants includes the so-called “members of the organizing committee”: Paata Burchuladze, Murtaz Zodelava, Irakli Nadiradze, Paata Manjgaladze, and Lasha Beridze, as …
Continue reading “Defendants in the October 4 Case Remain in Custody – Joint Case of 10 Defendants”
On January 20, Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili reviewed the use of pre-trial detention as a preventive measure for 11 defendants detained in connection with the October 4 case. However, the judge ruled to keep all 11 in custody. The defendants are Abo Naveriani, Vakhtang Pitskhelauri, Guriel Kardava, Beka Kelekhsashvili, Mamuka Labuchidze, Giorgi Muladze, Avtandil Surmanidze, Temur …
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On December 25, former Georgian Defense Minister Bacho (Bachana) Akhalaia, who served a nine-year prison sentence under the “Georgian Dream” government, was arrested again. The State Security Service (SSSG) says the investigative authorities consider him the “main organizer” of the October 4 events. Akhalaia has previously told the media that he even feels embarrassed by …
Continue reading “Former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia Detained in October 4 Case: What We Know”
Sixteen more people have been arrested on October 17 in connection with the events of October 4, bringing the total number of detainees to 62. The announcement was made by Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Gela Geladze, representing the ruling Georgian Dream party. “Today we arrested 16 additional individuals. As of now, a total of …
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On October 9, in Tbilisi, police detained 71-year-old pediatrician and professor Giorgi Chakhunashvili at his home. Later that evening, around 10 p.m., his son, Kote Chakhunashvili, wrote on Facebook that police had entered his father’s apartment. Soon after, journalists and protesters gathered outside the residence but found the door locked. Within about 30 minutes, police …
A man draped in the tricolor flag of Georgia has become one of the symbolic flagbearers of the Batumi protests — a familiar figure to nearly everyone attending the rallies. “My name is Zurab Chavchanidze, I’m 58 years old, and I’m from Sokhumi. This flag is inseparable from me; it’s from Sokhumi, dating back to …
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Flagbearer of the Batumi protests, Zurab Chavchanidze, has been arrested. According to information provided to Batumelebi, the flagbearer was detained today, October 8, in Batumi. Witnesses say around ten police officers participated in the arrest. Batumelebi has learned that Zurab Chavchanidze has been transferred to Tbilisi. Chavchanidze attended the protest in Tbilisi on October 4. …
On October 6, thirteen more people were arrested in connection with the investigation into the October 4 protest. Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, stated that two additional individuals have been declared wanted. According to the United National Movement (UNM), four of the detainees – Aleksandre Khabeishvili, Sergo Megrelishvili, Abo Naveriani, and Kakha Mzhavanadze …
One of the key figures arrested on serious criminal charges in connection with the October 4 events Colonel Lasha Beridze, former Deputy Chief of Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces. Since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Batumelebi has published several interviews with Lasha Beridze, featuring him as a military analyst. …
On October 5, Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, addressed the public. Responding to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ statement classifying all gatherings and assemblies as an “attempt to overthrow the government,” she called on people to protect the Rustaveli protest and continue the peaceful demonstrations. According to Zourabichvili, a “Russian special psychological operation” was carried …
The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) claims that a large quantity of firearms, ammunition, and explosives with a detonator has been discovered in connection with October 4 events. According to the SSSG, on the instructions of a Georgian representative of a military unit operating in Ukraine, Georgian citizen B. Ch. acquired a significant amount …
Lekso Burchuladze, son of Paata Burchuladze, told TV Pirveli that he believes the plan was not to storm the Presidential Palace, but that there may have been another plan, possibly involving a peaceful entry – “they would have come over to our side”. He said he feels there was a betrayal from within and called …
All members of the organizing committee of the October 4 rally announced by opera singer and one of the leaders of the Rustaveli Avenue movement, Paata Burchuladze, have been arrested, including Burchuladze himself. They face up to nine years in prison. On October 5, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a statement warning that any …
