Regarding the events of October 4, defendant Avtandil Surmanidze stated at a court hearing: “Prison and punishment mean nothing for a person who is fighting for the country’s future. Today, I am sitting in the defendant’s chair, but I am the one who has been harmed. Being at the October 4 protest was my response to injustice.

I have a question for law enforcement - when, at a peaceful protest, they use water cannons and rubber bullets against peaceful citizens, violating their rights, how is a person supposed to act in such a situation?”

Surmanidze explained that he went to the October 4 protest due to the situation in the country, to respond to injustice.

“In general, for a fighting person, prison and punishment mean nothing when the country’s future is at stake. Today, I am sitting in the defendant’s chair, but I am the one who has been harmed. [Being at the October 4 protest] was my response to injustice.

I have a question for law enforcement - when, at a peaceful protest, water cannons and rubber bullets are used against peaceful citizens, violating their rights, how is a person supposed to act? I have never been a law enforcement officer, but police officers appeared as witnesses in my administrative case and ‘justified’ my alleged crime. The police officers who testified against me turned their eyes away,” Surmanidze said.

Additional information:

Beka Kelekhsashvili, Mamuka Labuchidze, Guriela Kardava, Vakhtang Fitskhelauri, Aleksandre Khabeishvili, Abo Naverian, Anton Uper, Avtandil Surmanidze, Giorgi Muladze, and Temur Kurtsikidze have been charged under Article 222, Paragraph 2(a) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which involves the attempt to seize or block strategic and particularly important facilities as part of a group.

They have also been charged under Article 225, Part 2 of the Criminal Code, which concerns participation in group violence.

Mariam Mekantsishvili has been charged under Article 226 of the Criminal Code, which concerns organizing group actions.

Nana Sanders has been charged under Article 225, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which involves organizing group violence and carries a sentence of 6 to 9 years of imprisonment. She has also been charged under Article 317, which involves calling for the violent overthrow of Georgia’s constitutional order and the removal of state authority, punishable by up to 9 years of imprisonment.