**Georgian Medical Student Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Allegedly Assaulting Police**
In a tense verdict, Giorgi Mindadze, a 21-year-old medical student, was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of assaulting police. This is the fifth guilty verdict handed down against dozens of protesters detained since November 2024 for their involvement in anti-Georgian Dream protests.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Nino Galustashvili on July 3, just days after new restrictions on courtroom recording took effect. The hearing had limited media coverage, but dramatic scenes of confrontations between bailiffs and Mindadze’s supporters erupted in the court corridors. Part of the supporters were forced to leave the building.
Mindadze was detained in early December and tried for allegedly injuring a police officer with pyrotechnics during a rally on November 29. The charges carry a sentence of four to seven years in prison. However, the defense dismissed the allegations as lacking evidence.
The allegations in Mindadze’s case were based on video footage showing a young man setting off fireworks during a rally. The man has half of his lower face covered with a medical mask, making it difficult to identify him. Prosecutors alleged that the firework landed behind the riot police cordon and exploded, injuring an officer in the leg.
**A Pattern of Prosecution**
This verdict is part of a larger pattern of prosecution against protesters who participated in anti-Georgian Dream protests. No police officer has been held accountable despite numerous documented abuses during dispersals. Dozens of protesters remain in jail on criminal charges, convicted or awaiting their verdicts.
Mindadze’s conviction brings the total number of protesters convicted to five. Earlier convictions include Mate Devidze, Denis Kulanin, Daniel Mumladze, and Guram Khutashvili, all sentenced to years in jail. Seven more remain in prison after being convicted over their involvement in the spring 2024 protests against the foreign agents law.
**Concerns Over Politically Motivated Charges**
Civil society groups have raised concerns that many of these charges are politically motivated. A recently created civic platform, Politpatimrebi.ge, lists 68 persons who were jailed in 2024-2025 and whose charges are believed to be politically motivated.
The sentence comes as opposition leaders continue to face pressure from the Georgian Dream investigative commission. Seven individuals, including six active opposition politicians, were recently sentenced to prison terms of several months for defying the commission.
**A Fight Against Injustice**
In a letter brought to the hearing by his foster mother, Nani Tsulaia, a leading voice in the campaign to free detained protesters, Mindadze wrote: “Fight as long as at least one person has hope and faith to win this fight.” The verdict was delivered on Tsulaia’s birthday.
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