At the Tbilisi City Court, the trial is underway for actor Andro Chichinadze, Onise Tsxadadze, and nine other individuals who were arrested on charges of participating in group violence.

At today’s court session, the substantive hearing of the case will take place, during which the parties will deliver their opening statements. The defendants are also present at the hearing, except for Revaz Kiknadze and Ruslan Sivakov, who refused to attend the session.

For context, during the ongoing protest rallies near the Parliament, the cases of actor Andro Chichinadze, comedian Onise Tsxadadze, and nine other individuals arrested for participation in group violence were consolidated into one proceeding.

The detainees – Andro Chichinadze, Onise Tsxadadze, Jano Archaya, Ruslan Sivakov, Luka Jabua, Guram Mirtskhulava, Valeri Tetrashvili, Giorgi Terishvili, Irakli Kerashvili, Revaz Kiknadze, and Sergei Kukharchuk – have been charged under Article 225, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to participation in group violence.

This offense is punishable by imprisonment for a term ranging from 4 to 6 years.