A member of the Georgian opposition party Girchi — More Freedom, Gela Khasaia, has been placed in pre-trial detention on charges of intentional acts of violence. He reported degrading treatment during detention, while his supporters were forcibly removed from the court building during his hearing on Wednesday.
Judge Nana Shamatava placed Khasaia in pre-trial detention on Wednesday, two days after his arrest. The activist was charged with intentionally causing minor bodily harm in a group setting, an offence that carries a prison sentence of four to six years.
At the hearing, the activist recalled being detained on Monday night outside his home, after returning from the daily anti-government protest in central Tbilisi.
According to RFE/RL, Khasaia recalled that one of his arresting officers was a policeman he often saw patrolling protest rallies.
‘He kept repeating all the way, “I know what you did, I promised you and I’ll arrest you” ’, the activist quoted the officer as saying.
According to him, after being taken to the police station, he was twice completely stripped and searched — a practice that several recently detained anti-government activists have reported experiencing.
In response, according to RFE/RL, the prosecutor denied that law enforcement officers had treated the detainee inhumanely.
Khasaia also stated that during his arrest, the police referenced people arrested during ongoing protests.
‘They mentioned [imprisoned media founder] Mzia Amaghlobeli and my friend [imprisoned demonstrator] Saba Shvitaridze, who is also a victim of the regime. They told me we’re violent troublemakers’, Khasaia said.
The judge’s decision to keep Khasaia in detention sparked protest from his supporters, followed by a confrontation between them and bailiffs who were forcibly removing attendees from the courtroom.
According to Publika journalist Mindia Gabadze, bailiff David Matiashvili attempted three times to physically assault him, and on two other occasions, another bailiff grabbed him by the neck.
Bailiffs at Tbilisi City Court have recently been repeatedly noted for displaying heightened aggression during activists’ hearings. One such incident in June involved activist and teacher Nino Datashvili, who was later detained on charges of assaulting a bailiff and now faces up to seven years in prison.
Gela Khasaia’s case
Khasaia’s lawyers previously suggested that the case concerns an incident that took place on 1 September near Tbilisi’s Station Square.
According to the prosecution, Khasaia, along with another person also involved in the case, assaulted the victim, allegedly breaking his wrist.
The defence, however, stated that the activist witnessed the incident near the station square but did not participate.
As one of his lawyers, Omar Purtseladze, stated a few hours after Khasaia’s arrest, during the incident, individuals unknown to the activist verbally confronted each other, which Khasaia had witnessed, but did not intervene.
Members of the opposition group Coalition For Change — which unites the Girchi — More Freedom, Ahali, and Droa parties — gave a statement after his arrest and called Khasaia ‘yet another political prisoner’.
Khasaia has previously been detained multiple times, though under administrative charges, including in April 2024, during the protests against the controversial foreign agent law; in December, during the search of the offices of Girchi — More Freedom and Droa; and again in May 2025 outside parliament.
His penalties have ranged from verbal warnings to fines and days-long administrative arrest.
Since 28 November 2024, when daily protests erupted following the Georgian Dream government’s decision to halt the country’s EU membership bid, dozens of demonstrators have ended up in prison under criminal charges, many of whom have already been sentenced.
Alongside the demonstrators, numerous opposition leaders have also been imprisoned under various charges, including the leaders of all parties within the Coalition for Change.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
