Attorneys for 8 People Detained During Protests Want Judge to Recuse Himself
Eight people were detained during protests near the Parliament building. They are accused of organizing group violence and could face prison time.
Their attorneys asked a judge, Irakli Khuskivadze, to step away from the case because they don‘t think he can be impartial. The attorneys said that Judge Khuskivadze had already made decisions in the case without giving any reasons.
One attorney, Kakha Kozhoridze, said that just because a higher court agreed with Judge Khuskivadze’s decisions doesn’t mean it was fair. He asked for another judge to take over the case so people wouldn’t think he had already made up his mind.
Other attorneys agreed with Kozhoridze. They said it would be better if someone else handled the case, so there wouldn’t be any questions about fairness.
The prosecution, however, disagreed and said the request was unfounded. Judge Khuskivadze refused to step away from the case, saying that a higher court had already agreed with his decisions.
Now, the court is deciding whether to keep the detainees in jail or release them while their cases are being considered.