On September 16, Tbilisi City Court Judge Mikheil Kinkolia found Giorgi Shanidze, an activist against the Foreign Agents Law and the former soldier fighting for Ukraine in the war against Russia, guilty under the Article 265 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which provides for punishment for the illegal cultivation of plants containing narcotics, and Article 187 – damaging surveillance cameras. Shanidze was sentenced to four years in prison.
Shanidze was arrested during protests against the law. Initially, the Prosecutor General charged him under the first part of Article 187 of the Criminal Code. Later, he was also accused of illegal planting, or cultivating plants containing narcotics. On July 28, the court rejected his appeal for bail.
The hearing took place against the backdrop of a protest in support of Shanidze outside the Court. In announcing the protest, Shanidze’s supporters said: “Giorgi Shanidze was chosen by the Russian authorities of Georgia as the “best victim” among the citizens fighting against the Russian law, so that with his exemplary, demonstrative punishment they could intimidate the public, increase the feeling of hopelessness and injustice, and strengthen their positions before the elections.”
Also Read: