Georgian Dream Activists Trial Has Been Postponed for the Second Time

On August 21 trial on the Georgian Dream’s activists who were accused of a bribery of voters was postponed in Kutaisi based on the petition of prosecutor about essential discussion of the case. He said because of summer time witnesses were unable to come to the trial except one person. It would be impossible to discuss the case with one witness.

“Of course Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia can find a lot of reasons to drag this case. The only witness who was present at the trial is convicted Irakli Mikaberidze.  Prosecutors compelled him to say what he said at the trial. So in fact prosecutor was the witness instead Mikabeirdze,” member and chairperson of the Georgian Dream’s Kutaisi office Nato Katamadze said.

Representatives of the Georgian Dream’s Kutaisi office said: “Probably they will invite the same witness to September 6 hearing and the trial will be postponed for similar stupid reason again. Meanwhile, the election will come, and if we win, they will say that these people were innocent and they will release them. God save us but if we lose election, nobody knows how long the detainees will be imprisoned.

Nino Kurua, Koba Jabua, Mikheil Meskhi, Mikheil Amashukeli and Gaga Ambroladze were arrested by police on June 5, when they were distributing information booklets in streets of Kutaisi. (On June 10 Georgian Dream meeting was planned in Kutaisi). They were blamed in bribery of votes the action punished under Article 16 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. 

Nino Kurua and Koba Jabua were released in several days under bail of 3000 lari. Mikheil Meskhi, Mikheil Amashukeli and Gaga Ambroladze were sent to a pre-trial detention for two months. Although two months have expired, they are still in prison.

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi