Roin Khintibidze, the prosecutor handling the case of the 15 individuals detained in connection with the events that occurred in Tbilisi on October 4, does not rule out the possibility of plea agreements with the defendants.

According to Khintibidze, a necessary condition for a plea agreement is for the defendants to admit the crime and unequivocally accept the evidence. He noted that if such a development occurs, the prosecution will then consider the possibility of entering into a plea agreement.

“The prerequisite for a plea agreement is that the defendant fully admits the crime. During today’s hearing, the defendants stated that they do not plead guilty to the charges. Some of the defendants exercised their right to remain silent, which does not amount to an admission of guilt. However, if at a later stage any defendant admits the crime and acknowledges the evidence presented by the prosecution, we are ready to consider this issue.

Regarding the request to change the preventive measure for Eva Shashiashvili, we [the prosecution] substantiated the preventive measures imposed on each defendant - [13 defendants have been placed in pre-trial detention, while two were granted bail]. Therefore, when the preventive measures are reviewed, the prosecution will again substantiate and reaffirm the form of preventive measure that will be reasonable at that time.

As for today’s court session, the parties delivered their opening statements, and the judge explained the charges to each defendant and heard their position regarding the charges. Starting from the next hearing, the prosecution will begin presenting and examining the evidence,” Khintibidze stated.

For reference, the Tbilisi City Court held a hearing for the 15 individuals detained in connection with the October 4 events. The parties delivered their opening statements, and the proceedings then shifted to the stage of evidence examination.

The defendants - Gocha Katashvili, Sulkhan Abralava, Konstantine Kokaia, Davit Zhghenti, Kakhaber Mzhavanadze, Aleksandre Gogoladze, Davit Sturua, Eva Shashiashvili, Zakro Albutashvili, Genadi Khelikhashvili, Davit Ghurtskaia, Ramaz Jorbenadze, Jandri Tirkia, Giorgi Chakhunashvili, and Ia Darakhvelidze - have been charged under Article 19-222, Part 2, Subparagraph “a” (attempted seizure of a strategic and high-importance facility, committed by a group) and Article 225, Part 2 (participation in group violence) of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The charges carry a penalty of up to six years of imprisonment.