Activist Mariam Mekantsishvili’s Lawyer: Mariam says she was not at the President’s Palace on October 4 - she was at a protest but not near the Presidential Administration - She remains resilient and does not lose her fighting spirit!
According to Mariam Mekantsishvili's lawyer, Ana Beria, her client is likely being accused of organizing group violence.
As the lawyer stated after leaving the Zagesi Temporary Detention Facility, no formal charges have yet been filed against Mekantsishvili. However, during her detention, law enforcement officers informed her that she was being detained under Article 226 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
“There was no violence or coercion from law enforcement; everything proceeded calmly. First, they seized a jacket belonging to Mariam, which she voluntarily provided. As Mariam herself explained, she was wearing this jacket on October 4. They showed her a specific clip from video footage and asked if she was wearing that jacket, to which Mariam naturally confirmed it was hers. Her mobile phone was also seized. Regarding the article, I am not yet familiar with the formal charge document, as it has not been presented. However, as explained to Mariam during her detention, it concerns Article 226 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to organizing group violence. According to Mariam herself, she was not at all near the President’s Palace on October 4; she was at a protest but not near the Presidential Administration. Mariam remains resilient and does not lose her fighting spirit,” Beria stated.
At this moment, human rights defender Boris Chele Kurua has entered the Zagesi Temporary Detention Facility to meet with two other detainees, Kakha Kvachantiradze and Mikheil Toloraia.
For context, law enforcement detained several activists in connection with the events that unfolded on October 4.
Among the detained are Mariam Mekantsishvili, Davit Giunashvili, Simon Makharadze, Davit Ghurtskaia, Giorgi Talakhadze, Gia Toloraia, Mikheil Toloraia, and Temur Kurtsikidze.
