"I am an ordinary captive, and under no circumstances will I accept the word 'prisoner' for myself. Yes, I am the captive they didn’t like," said journalist Nika Katsia, who is charged with a drug-related crime.

He used his final statement in court to speak in detail about his case.

"The main question is: where did the drugs come from? This is the first time I’ve brought a pen, and I’m standing here empty-handed; it’s symbolic.

I was thinking about how to start or what to say. People save important things for the end, but I’ve been sincere from the first day. The truth doesn’t need negotiation... even if a lying prosecutor shoots me in the forehead," Katsia said, at which point the judge interrupted him and urged him to speak respectfully.

Katsia responded that he was expressing his opinion as a remark, to which the judge replied, "You cannot give me a remark."

"I am a target of injustice; that’s a different topic of conversation. This case is fabricated from start to finish, and I can’t express that politely. When I talk about lies, I always think about what the counterbalance to truth should be. This isn’t just truth; it’s a profound truth that everyone will follow. If we’re talking about the Russian regime, this is an institution that serves it. This isn’t justice. It’s not created by one or two people; it’s created by people we pay. If I stood at a protest in 2012 after those prison videos, why is the same problem still here today? Why am I not given the opportunity to defend myself today? The court is obstructing the investigation; we were prevented from doing many things," he stated.

Katsia expressed gratitude to his family and all his supporters.

"As for my thanks, thank you to my family members, friends, I see Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili, thank you to everyone who laid even a single brick to defend the truth, thank you to my lawyer...

How can I, as a young man, be uncompromising in this fight when it’s about the future? I feel obligated. When people let their children go out on the streets, they shouldn’t find drugs planted in their pockets... The institution called the prosecution sets an example for the future generation. What example does it set when it fabricates a case and can’t even do it well? Some may like me, some may not, but when truth confronts a lie, it will yield results today or tomorrow...

For nine months, the prosecutor hasn’t asked a single question about offensive or degrading actions... They drove Guram Rogava to his death, they brutally beat Maka Chikhladze. Those were my sentiments that didn’t let me stay home that day. Specifically, December 7, when I left my house, it was because of Maka Chikhladze’s footage.

How can a person with a child see Zviad Mamisashvili’s footage and remain calm? The regime has done everything. I agree with my brother: some evil person sits there saying, ‘Let’s release this one, let’s detain that one.’ Yes, I’m harsh—what did you expect? What did Mr. Nugzar [the prosecutor] expect, if I got his name right? Why has it become a trend to play with people’s fates?

This isn’t my personal truth; it belongs to everyone in a chain.

No one put their hand in my pocket. At the very least, I know the name and surname of one [police officer]. This truth must be preserved. They need to know that such lies are evil, a crime.

When I was coming here, I thought about asking Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili when she last hugged her mother, or asking the prosecutor when he last spoke to his mother.

I am right anyway. Sentence me to 20 years if you want, or even to death by firing squad, but Nikusha Katsia is still a happy man.

I am an ordinary captive, and under no circumstances will I accept the word ‘prisoner’ for myself. Yes, I am the captive they didn’t like.

When you’re right, you’re right, and that’s final. If someone took away those nine months I had for happiness, for caring for my mother, it’s you—you’re the ones who restricted my mother’s right to that.

I’m not Antsukhelidze, I never have been, and maybe I never will be, but you shouldn’t let anyone insult him," Katsia stated.

For reference, Nika Katsia was detained on December 7. He was charged under Article 260, Part 6 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the illegal acquisition or possession of large quantities of narcotic substances.

This crime carries a penalty of 8 to 20 years of imprisonment or life imprisonment.