The Public Defender welcomes the acquittal verdict issued by the Tbilisi City Court on August 6, 2025, in favor of Giorgi Akhobadze, – stated in the announcement by Public Defender Levan Ioseliani, disseminated by the Ombudsman’s Office.

As noted in the statement, the Public Defender hopes that the acquittal verdict in Giorgi Akhobadze’s case will have a positive impact on establishing the police’s obligation to obtain neutral evidence and on the development of proper judicial practice.

“In this case, on March 24, 2025, the Public Defender submitted an Amicus Curiae brief to the court, emphasizing the importance of neutral evidence.

The Amicus Curiae brief addressed constitutional and international human rights standards, according to which the creation and collection of neutral evidence during a personal search is of fundamental importance for holding a person accountable.

In cases where police officers have the opportunity to obtain neutral evidence, including video recordings, but fail to do so, and the prosecution relies solely on the testimony of police officers, this cannot be considered a practice compliant with human rights.

The Public Defender hopes that the acquittal verdict in favor of Giorgi Akhobadze will positively influence the establishment of the police’s obligation to obtain neutral evidence and the development of proper judicial practice,” the statement reads.