The court found Davit Lomidze and Temur Zasokhashvili, who were arrested during the protests near the parliament, guilty of attacking employees of the Special Tasks Department and throwing a so-called Molotov cocktail.

By the decision of Judge Nino Galustashvili, they were sentenced to 4.6 years in prison.

At today's hearing, the defendants had a short closing statement.

"My point is that the court should consider this case objectively. It should make a decision that will be fair. I consider myself innocent," - said Davit Lomidze.

Temur Zasokhashvili agreed with him.

"Similarly, I also feel innocent," - said Zasokhashvili.

After hearing the defendants’ statements, the judge went into deliberations to deliver the verdict.

When announcing the verdict, the judge explained to Zasokhashvili and Lomidze that they could appeal to the president for pardon, to which they replied that they would not do so.

For information, Davit Lomidze and Temur Zasokhashvili were arrested on December 1, 2024. According to the prosecutor’s office, they attacked employees of the Special Tasks Department on Chichinadze Street during a protest rally in front of the parliament in Tbilisi at night and threw so-called Molotov cocktails at them. Also, as a result of the aforementioned action, a special water cannon vehicle of the Ministry of Internal Affairs caught fire.

They were charged under Article 353, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (attack on a police officer in connection with his official duties), which provides for a sentence of 4 to 7 years in prison.