A break was announced during the court hearing of Nika Gvaramia, leader of the “Coalition for Change,” at Tbilisi City Court.

The reason for the interruption was that Gvaramia was eating popcorn during the court session.

Judge Eka Barbakadze called for order in the courtroom, to which Gvaramia responded by saying that he has diabetes and is forced to eat.

As a result, the judge announced a recess.

For context, today’s hearing is focused on the imposition of a preventive measure against Gvaramia.

The case concerns the ongoing investigation into the failure to comply with a lawful request from the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Georgian Parliament. Gvaramia did not appear before the commission and was subsequently summoned to testify before a magistrate judge.

He is charged under Article 349 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which refers to “failure to comply with the request of the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Parliament of Georgia.” The offense is punishable by a fine or up to one year of imprisonment, along with the possible deprivation of the right to hold office or engage in certain activities for up to three years.

Photo credit: Marika Arevadze