Torniqe Toshkhua and Mindia Shervashidze, accused of committing group violence against former football player and “Georgian Dream” activist Beka Gotsiridze, have been found guilty by the court.

The decision was made by Judge Elene Goguadze of the Tbilisi City Court.

According to Judge Goguadze’s ruling, Toshkhua and Shervashidze were sentenced to one year of imprisonment. They will be released from the penitentiary in five months, as they have already served seven months in pretrial detention.

The judge noted that the court heard both the prosecution and defense arguments but did not accept the defense’s claim regarding necessary self-defense.

Judge Goguadze also considered the defendants’ personal characteristics and positions, noting that they had no prior criminal convictions, although one had a prior administrative penalty.

When questioned, the victim was reportedly lenient toward the defendants, but the judge emphasized that the victim’s position is not decisive in determining the sentence.

The judge stated that the defendants deprived her of the possibility to impose a non-custodial sentence or a more lenient punishment, although the court did not impose the maximum sentence.

For context, Toshkhua and Shervashidze were charged under Article 126(1 prima, subparagraph “b”) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which refers to group violence. This offense carries a maximum penalty of up to two years imprisonment.

The victim in this case was former football player and “Georgian Dream” activist Beka Gotsiridze. The defendants were accused specifically of committing violence against him.

Beka Gotsiridze recently passed away, reportedly from a heart attack. Before his death, he had given testimony in court, stating that he held no grievance against the defendants. He addressed the judge, saying that he would have been happy if the defendants had been released on bail to spend the New Year at home and that he himself had even participated in the altercation.