Andro Chichinadze

Apprehended

Tortured

Violence

Prisoner

A. Chichinadze

Andro
Chichinadze

On December 5, 2024, in Tbilisi, officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested 28-year-old Andro Chichinadze, a well-known actor from the New Theater and an active participant in the pro-European protest movement, at his residence.

"I am on strike!" he wrote on social media a day before his arrest. With this simple phrase, he emphasized his unwavering stance—resistance against authoritarianism, a fight for the country's European future.

The prosecutor's office accuses Chichinadze of throwing a stick at a police officer during a pro-European protest held on Rustaveli Avenue on November 29. He has been charged under Article 225 of the Criminal Code of Georgia—organizing and participating in group violence. Onise Tskhadadze, Guram Mirtskhulava, Luka Jabua, Jano Archaia, Ruslan Sivakov, Revaz Kiknadze, Giorgi Terashvili, Valeri Tetrashvili, Sergei Kukharchuk, and Irakli Kerashvili are also accused of the same crime, which carries a sentence of 4 to 6 years in prison.

In December 2024, within 48 hours of their arrest, the court remanded all 11 detainees in custody. The substantive hearings of the cases were scheduled to begin in January. However, the prosecutor's office requested a two-month extension of the investigation period, arguing that they did not have enough time to gather evidence. The judge granted the request, which became the basis for reviewing the detention measure. The detainees' lawyers believe that the prosecutor's office cannot justify the need to extend the investigation, as they have not effectively used the two months already granted to them.

Andro Chichinadze is the cousin of opposition leader Elene Khoshtaria, which was mentioned by Georgian Dream leader Mamuka Mdinaradze on January 20, who accused him of receiving funding from Russia and offered to vouch for him in exchange for admitting guilt. Chichinadze responded from prison, reminding Mdinaradze that he was talking about an innocent person. "Mamu, you're very sweet, but don't forget that you're talking about an innocent person."

The court proceedings themselves were marked by significant legal violations. According to the defense, Judge Ketevan Jachvadze completely disregarded the presumption of innocence, and the prosecutor's office failed to present specific evidence to support the charges. Particular concern was raised by the fact that the court, when imposing pretrial detention, did not consider less severe alternative detention measures, which directly contradicts the precedent practice of the European Court of Human Rights. According to the Bar Association, this is further evidence of the politicization of the court.

During the hearing, the actor compared himself to a character from writer Franz Kafka, who is on trial and does not know what is happening to him. "This novel is about uncertainty. A book about absurdity, about this feeling of uncertainty. I always thought about how this feeling should be brought to life in practice. Somehow it happened, and it's strange, on the one hand, and interesting on the other," he addressed the judge and concluded, "We are shaped as people not only by the past, but also by how we perceive and see the future."

«It’s a very strange process… It reminded me of Jozef K., a character from Kafka, who is undergoing a trial but has no idea what is happening to him. This novel is about uncertainty. The book itself is about the feeling of uncertainty. I always wondered how this feeling could be brought to life in practice, and somehow it happened, and it’s quite strange. I’ll add one thing: we, as humans, are shaped not only by our past but also by how we perceive and envision the future»
—Andro Chichinadze

Several violations were revealed during the proceedings: the court hearing was conducted in an expedited manner, and the defense was not given sufficient time to study the evidence; the judge did not admit some of the evidence presented by the defense, which proved the groundlessness of the charges; the court ignored the defense's motions related to the possibility of using alternative detention measures; the prosecution failed to present any video or photo evidence confirming Chichinadze's participation in violence.

It is particularly noteworthy that the judge granted the prosecutor's motion to extend the detention, despite the fact that the court did not consider the defendants' personality, occupation, family, or financial situation. "We are considered to be in some group, as if we committed a joint 'crime,' but we don't know each other at all. Plus, we are accused of different days."

It is noteworthy that on March 4, Gigineishvili announced that Chichinadze's complaint had been sent to the Strasbourg Court. Chichinadze's arrest has received international attention. The European Film Academy called for his immediate release, and human rights organizations stated that the case is a clear example of political persecution. The New Theater company issued an ultimatum to the authorities that if their actor was not released, they would start a protest manifesto. The deadline of January 21 passed, and as part of the protest, the theater company is holding demonstrations in the regions.

Organizations "Transparency International – Georgia" and "Georgian Democracy Initiative" (GDI) assess Andro Chichinadze's case as politically motivated persecution. GDI, based on the criteria of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Resolution 1900 of 2012, officially concluded that Andro Chichinadze is a political prisoner and that his imprisonment is caused by purely political motives.

"Georgian Democracy Initiative" (GDI) concluded, based on its study of Andro Chichinadze's case, that he is a political prisoner and must be released immediately. GDI studied Andro Chichinadze's case based on the criteria of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Resolution 1900 of 2012, which defines a political prisoner. GDI believes that Chichinadze's imprisonment meets at least the "b" and "e" criteria of the resolution, which means that: imprisonment was imposed for purely political purposes, which has no connection with any offense; and imprisonment is the result of legal proceedings that were clearly unfair and appear to be related to the political motives of the authorities.

According to the report, the case materials presented by the prosecutor's office do not contain any evidence that would confirm the organization of a violent group by the defendants, their acquaintance, or concerted action. There is no injured party in Andro Chichinadze's case. The prosecutor's office uses criminal prosecution as a tool to damage the image of protests and intimidate the public. The imprisonment used against Chichinadze contradicts the standards of the European Court of Human Rights. This case is a test of judicial independence, the right to a fair trial, and freedom of expression in Georgia. The charges are unfounded, there is no evidence, and the court decisions are made under the influence of the ruling party.

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