07 March 2025, 23:16
Rights defenders criticize trial over supporters of Georgia’s European integration
The proofs in the case of the oppositionists accused of involvement in violence at protest actions were gathered with violations; and the decision to hold the trial behind closed doors violates the standards of fair trial.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since early last December in Tbilisi, at least 19 persons have been arrested in connection with violence at protests.
The nongovernmental organization (NGO) "Young Lawyers’ Association" has expressed concern about the partial closure of the trial, since an open trial is a guarantee of fair consideration and control over it. The judge decided to close the trial on March 5, as those present in the courtroom reacted emotionally to the hearing.
In the case of 19 oppositionists, there are no proofs of their guilt, and the court should disregard those presented by the prosecutor's office, Alexander Baramidze, an ex-deputy minister of justice of Georgia, who is now representing the NGO "International Transparency-Georgia" has stated.
"For example, one of the proofs is a secretly made video recording of Kedzelashvili’s conversation with Kasradze," Mr Baramidze has noted.
According to his story, the charges are based on secret wiretapping and unjustified accusations, while there is no crime elements in the case. The defendants didn’t know each other, they planned nothing together, and even if some of their actions were illegal, there are no signs of any organization in their case.
According to Baramidze, making the videos public has a propaganda aim – to convince the population that "bad people take part in protests".
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 7, 2025 at 00:56 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Inna Kukudjanova Source: СK correspondent
