Georgia charges former defence minister over violent protest in Tbilisi

Charges have been formally filed against former Georgian Defence Minister Bacho Akhalaia, who was detained a day earlier, Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has announced.

According to Caliber.Az, citing Georgian media, Akhalaia is accused of organising and leading group violence in connection with the storming of Georgia’s presidential palace in Tbilisi on October 4, the day municipal elections were held.

The charges carry a potential prison sentence of up to nine years. The Prosecutor General’s Office said it will apply to the court within the legally prescribed timeframe for a preventive measure in the form of pretrial detention.

Akhalaia was detained in Tbilisi on December 25 along with his wife. She was later released at the current stage of the proceedings.

The State Security Service said evidence obtained under a judge-authorised warrant indicates that Akhalaia coordinated the events remotely via an internet application and acted as the main organiser. According to the agency, analysis of seized information showed that during the events of October 4, Akhalaia directed actions online and maintained repeated communication through mobile applications with Paata Burchuladze, Murtaza Zodelava, Irakli Nadiradze, Paata Mandzhgaladze, and Lasha Beridze, all of whom had been detained earlier in the case. The suspects allegedly discussed the plan for carrying out the protest action.

Authorities recalled that on October 5, Georgia’s Interior Ministry arrested Burchuladze, Zodelava, Nadiradze, Mandzhgaladze, and Beridze on charges of calling for the violent overthrow of the government.

By Tamilla Hasanova