Day: December 28, 2023

On December 28, the Tbilisi City Court approved a plea bargain for Zura Nizharadze, a man arrested for possession of several types of club drugs, whose arrest reignited criticism of repressive drug policy in Georgia and prompted calls for systemic reforms of narcotics policy in the country.

As told to Civil.ge by Nizharadze’s lawyer, under the terms of the plea agreement, Nizharadze will serve one year in prison, followed by three years of probation.

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On November 11, Nizharadze, 26, was arrested for the possession of 1.4628 grams of MDMA, 0.000105 grams of LSD, and 4.76617 grams of ketamine. He was facing a possible sentence of eight up to 20 years or life imprisonment under Part 6 of Article 260 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for punishment for ‘particularly large quantities’ of drugs.

Nizharadze’s arrest was the subject of criticism from civil society organizations and several politicians who are critical of the state’s drug policy, which they say is too harsh.

On December 27, at a special session held at 6 a.m., ahead of the previously declared date and time, the de facto Parliament of occupied Abkhazia ratified the agreement on the transfer of the Bichvinta (the so-called “Pitsunda state dacha”) to Russia for a 49-year lease [ed.- the residence and its dependencies cover the land plot of 4 sq. Km]. The opponents of the law have been protesting against the decision since December 26.

Civil.ge collected the international reactions.

United States

“We condemn the illegitimate attempts to transfer land in the occupied Georgian territory of Abkhazia to Russia,” Mattew Miller, Spokesperson for the United States Department of State reportedly told journalists via a telephone call. “Russia’s ongoing occupation of 20 percent of Georgia’s territory undermines Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The United States continues to call on Russia to uphold its obligations and commitments in the 2008 ceasefire agreement and UN Charter.”

EU Countries

“France supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders,” Sheraz Gasri, Ambassador of France to Georgia tweeted. According to her, “any decision undermining the territorial integrity of Georgia, such as the attempt to transfer land in Abkhazia to Russia, is illegal, null and void.”

“Romania supports the territorial integrity of Georgia and does not recognize the transfer to the Russian Federation of the Bichvinta/Pitsunda territory,” the Embassy of Romania in Georgia wrote on Facebook.

According to the Estonian Embassy in Tbilisi, the country “strongly condemns the illegitimate decision by the so-called parliament of the occupied Abkhazia to transfer Bichvinta/Pitsunda to Russia,” adding that “Estonia supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and calls on Russia to fulfill its obligations and commitments under the 2008 ceasefire agreement and its implementing measures.”

According to the Czech Ambassador to Georgia, Petr Kubernat, “Czechs have always supported and continue to support Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Therefore, we consider any transfer of land in Picunda (Bichvinta) in Abkhazia to Russia to be a violation of this, and we consider any such decision to be null and void.”

More to follow…

Also Read:

• 27/12/2023 – Reactions to Transfer of Occupied Abkhazia’s Bichvinta Dacha to Russia

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