Georgian opposition leader sentenced to eight months in prison

Tbilisi City Court has sentenced Nika Melia, an opposition figure and one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, to eight months in prison for failing to comply with the demands of a temporary parliamentary investigative commission.

The court ruling found Melia guilty of refusing to testify before the parliamentary commission tasked with investigating alleged crimes committed during and after the tenure of the United National Movement (UNM), Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

He was one of eight opposition activists who declined to appear before the commission, citing political bias and concerns over procedural legitimacy.

Melia, a former chairman of the UNM and a central figure in Georgia’s opposition landscape, has been in pre-trial detention in connection with two separate legal cases. In addition to the sentence handed down this week, he is also facing charges of contempt of court following an incident on May 30, when he reportedly poured water on Judge Irakli Shvangiradze during a hearing. After being escorted from the courtroom, Melia allegedly continued to verbally insult the judge. If convicted in the contempt case, he could face an additional sentence of up to two years in prison.

The ruling has stirred political debate in Tbilisi, with opposition parties condemning the decision as politically motivated, while government officials maintain that the judiciary is acting independently.

By Vafa Guliyeva