Russian citizen sentenced to 8.5 years in Georgia following protest-linked arrest

Tbilisi City Court has sentenced Russian activist Anton Chechin to eight years and six months in prison after finding him guilty of illegally purchasing and possessing a large quantity of narcotics.

The verdict, delivered on September 2 by Judge Jvebe Nachkebia, marks the 15th prison sentence related to pro-EU, anti-Georgian Dream protests since November 2024, and the first guilty verdict in a drug-related case, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

Chechin, 26, denied the charges, and his defence claimed the drugs were planted due to his activism. “I fought for democratic values so that law enforcement and state agencies would work for the benefit of citizens against a totalitarian government,” he said before the verdict.

Authorities said Chechin carried 7.5 grams of Alpha-PVP, while the defense argued DNA evidence may have been planted. Chechin also reported physical abuse and a pre-existing cystic brain growth requiring surgery.

His arrest follows a series of protest-related detentions in December 2024. Two other defendants, Giorgi Akhobadze and Tedo Abramov, were acquitted in similar drug-related cases.

By Aghakazim Guliyev