Former Prime Minister and leader of the "For Georgia" party, Giorgi Gakharia, has been sentenced to pre-trial detention in absentia in connection with the so-called Chorchana episode.

The decision was announced by Judge Davit Kurtanidze of the Tbilisi City Court.

With this ruling, the judge granted the Prosecutor’s Office’s motion to impose detention as a preventive measure against the former Prime Minister.

According to the prosecutor, there is a risk that Giorgi Gakharia could commit a new offense, influence witnesses, or evade justice.

As for the defense, Gakharia’s lawyers argued that there is no evidence justifying pre-trial detention in this case and requested that no preventive measure be applied.

Defense attorney Berdia Sichinava stated during the hearing that the charges were not brought against Gakharia personally but against Georgia itself. “What new crime are they talking about when the old one doesn’t even exist?” he said.

Sichinava also noted that the case is political and that “Georgian Dream” founder Bidzina Ivanishvili publicly announced the political persecution of Giorgi Gakharia on live television.

Giorgi Gakharia himself did not attend the hearing. He has been outside Georgia for several months.

Regarding another case against Gakharia, related to the dispersal of the June 20 protest, the court is expected to consider the preventive measure later today at 8:00 PM.

For reference, the Prosecutor’s Office initiated criminal proceedings against the former Prime Minister and former Interior Minister in two cases — the dispersal of the June 20 rally and the so-called Chorchana episode.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, on June 20, Gakharia, disregarding legal regulations, instructed the officers of the Special Tasks Department to use special means simultaneously and intensively, without warning or allowing peaceful protesters to leave the area, thereby organizing the intentional infliction of bodily harm on citizens. As a result of the combined use of special means, including rubber bullets, dozens of people sustained injuries of varying severity — two lost their eyes, and five suffered severe injuries.

As for the so-called Chorchana episode, the Prosecutor’s Office claims that Gakharia unilaterally decided to establish an additional police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana, along the occupation line. The representatives of the occupation regime used this as a pretext for actions against Georgia’s territorial integrity.

In particular, on September 5, 2019, the illegal armed formations of the de facto South Ossetian regime occupied heights within Georgia’s government-controlled territory. Approximately 100 hectares of forested land fell under the control of the occupying forces. There were reports of various illegal activities and the movement of heavy military equipment toward populated areas, creating a real risk of armed conflict between the sides. As a result, the homes of residents from the villages of Kobiani and Tsnelisi in the Khashuri Municipality also came under occupation.

Giorgi Gakharia is charged under Article 25 and Article 117, Part 3, Subparagraph “m,” and Article 333, Part 2 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which carry a penalty of up to 13 years of imprisonment.