Opposition Leader Sentenced to Prison
On December 6, a City court judge in Georgia sentenced Nika Gvaramia, leader of the opposition alliance Coalition for Change, to 12 days in prison. The charges were administrative and included petty hooliganism and disobeying police orders.
Gvaramia was taken from a detention center to the court without his lawyers or family being notified. This made it difficult for him to get proper legal representation. His lawyers asked for a trial delay, but this request was ignored and the hearing went ahead anyway.
“This decision was expected,” said Zurab Japaridze, another leader of the Coalition for Change. “There was no evidence that Nika had done anything wrong, yet he still got sentenced to prison.”
Gvaramia was arrested on December 4 during a police raid on his office. He demanded to enter the building but was violently detained by police. Witnesses say he was injured and taken away unconscious.
Police have been accused of using excessive force in recent days. They were involved in violent dispersals of protests, which started after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would pause its EU integration process until 2028.
Opposition parties are now keeping a record of people targeted by the government and police officers responsible for violence. They say this violates human rights laws and the Constitution of Georgia.
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