Japaridze fined, barred from carrying arms for three years
According to local media, Tbilisi City Court Judge Lela Tsagareishvili has fined Zurab Girchi Japaridze, a leader of the Coalition for Change opposition alliance, ₾2,500 and revoked his right to carry arms for three years.
The ruling follows charges of unlawfully blocking traffic and disobeying police during anti-government protests on 2 December in Tbilisi.
Judge Tsagareishvili is among the Georgian officials recently sanctioned by Estonia.
Japaridze has reportedly threatened to use his firearm in self-defence on at least two occasions. In May, he claimed to have fired a warning shot from his pistol to deter an attempted attack on the streets of Tbilisi. In another instance, recorded by himself on video, he appeared to ward off masked attackers by warning that he would use his weapon if they approached him.