On January 21, 2025, the so-called supreme court of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia sentenced Kakha Muradov to 15 years in prison. He is charged with “high treason” and passing military secrets to Georgia. Muradov will continue serving his sentence in a strict regime colony.

According to the so-called Abkhazian prosecutor’s office, Muradov is a citizen of the so-called Abkhazian republic, although at the time of his arrest, the de facto Abkhazian state security service stated that he also had a Georgian passport. He was arrested in Sokhumi on May 14, 2024. Later, the de facto security service released a video of his arrest and interrogation. In the video, Muradov talks about his connections with Georgian special services and claims that he was tasked with “finding loyal people on the territory of Abkhazia, who support the return of Abkhazia to Georgia.” According to him, the allocation of GEL 1 million was planned, which was supposed to be used to solve the domestic problems of the Abkhazian population. According to the de facto authorities, Muradov “collected and provided information to Georgian special services, which posed a threat to the security of Abkhazia.” It was also said that Muradov “had contacts with the former commanders of the so-called Gagra battalion of the State Council of Georgia, members of the radical nationalist group “Mkhedrioni” and members of the Georgian Legion, who are participating in the combat operations of the Ukrainian armed forces.” One of Muradov’s tasks, according to the Abkhaz side, was to monitor trains entering Abkhazia from Russia in order to find out whether they were carrying military equipment. It is interesting to note that Muradov was an employee of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1994 to 1999 and had long collaborated with the intelligence service.

The Abkhazian public welcomed Muradov’s arrest and the so-called official indictment. Their main message to the de facto authorities is to continue searching for such spies and punish them severely.

The following remain in prison on similar charges: Irakli Bebua, Kristine Takalandze and Asmat Tavadze. Among the above-mentioned cases, Kristine Takalandze’s imprisonment is most closely related to Muradov’s case. The de facto prosecutor’s office of Abkhazia accuses her of obtaining, collecting and providing classified information to the Georgian State Security Service. The puppet regime uses such practices against anyone who opposes the de facto authorities.

In addition, it is popular in Abkhazia to add two additional charges to other types of charges – illegal possession of weapons and possession of drugs. For example, to aggravate the charges against Irakli Bebua, the local militia “planted” a hand grenade on him, while Asmat Tavadze is accused of possessing drugs. The de facto government actively uses a similar practice and unfairly prosecutes Georgian citizens on absurd charges. It is noteworthy that in the above-mentioned cases, the Georgian authorities have not taken any effective steps to ensure the protection of the rights of Georgian citizens.

Kakha Muradov’s 15-year imprisonment is another case that clearly demonstrates the numerous unfair and absurd charges against Georgian citizens by the de facto government. As a result, the de facto authorities of Abkhazia continue to file unjustified and humiliating charges against Georgian citizens.