24 July, judge Natia
Gudadze, on the basis of the motion of the defense, once again considered the change
of the type of the
measure of restraint for 19-year-old Omar Okribelashvili and
23-year-old Saba Meparishvili.
The
Prosecutor's Office charged the participants in the protests
against the Russian law on the
basis of subparagraph
c) of Article 187 of the Civil Code, which provides for imprisonment from 3 to 6 years as a punishment
without an
alternative. For the third month now, two young men have been
in prison for
causing GEL 400 damage to the
Ministry of Internal Affairs. The prosecution argues that they damaged the temporary
iron structure erected in front of the Parliament
building during the protest.
The interests
of the defendants are being defended
by the Democracy Research Institute. The organization has already reimbursed for the 400 GEL damage, which the prosecution had been constantly focusing on at the court
sessions. According to the legislation,
when deciding the issue of the measure of restraint and its specific use, the court,
among other things, shall consider the reimbursement for the property damage caused.
Based on the
essence of the charge, the age and personality of the accused and the expected unjust punishment, the public has
repeatedly expressed its desire to support the two young men. Accordingly, the
Democracy Research Institute offers the public to personally stand surety for
the youth.
Personal surety, according to the legislation, is one of the types
of the measure of restraint, by which trusted persons confirm in writing that they will ensure that the accused will
behave properly and
go to the court, investigator,
prosecutor.
In case of wishing to express support,
please come to the address: 14 b Aleksandre Kazbegi, 2nd entrance, 3rd floor, from 10:30 to 17:30.
Especially in the current tense political climate, the issue of the Service’s politicisation has become even more apparent.
While "Georgian Dream" continues to entrench its control over Georgia's public institutions, the country’s anti-corruption mechanisms are being repurposed not to hold those in power accountable, but to target independent civil society organizations in Georgia.
After the European Commission published a harsh assessment about Georgia, the Prosecutor’s Office charged opposition leaders with serious crimes against the State.
