Apprehended

Tortured

Violence

Prisoner

G. Akhobadze

Giorgi
Akhobadze

Giorgi Akhobadze, a 43-year-old anesthesiologist-reanimatologist and staunch pro-European activist, was abruptly arrested on drug charges. This came as a shock to many, given his vocal participation in protests against the "Russian Law." Akhobadze had been actively providing medical advice to demonstrators and openly sharing his political views on social media.

On December 8, 2024, he was apprehended while returning home from a protest. Police reportedly stopped his car and conducted a personal search, during which, they claim, "3.73133 grams of the narcotic substance α-PVP were found" in his pocket. Akhobadze vehemently denies the charges, asserting that the drugs were "planted by the police."

«The fight will go on until the end!»
—Giorgi Akhobadze

The circumstances surrounding his case raise numerous questions. The police cited "urgent necessity" as the basis for the search, yet no concrete evidence has been presented to substantiate this claim. Furthermore, the lack of technical equipment during the search is puzzling, casting doubt on its objectivity.

Akhobadze faces charges under Article 260 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the illegal manufacture, production, acquisition, storage, transportation, or shipment of narcotic substances. The potential penalty ranges from 8 to 20 years, or even life imprisonment. Judge Nino Maridashvili ordered Akhobadze to two months of pretrial detention, despite his lawyer, Lasha Tsutskiridze, presenting evidence that challenged the legality of the arrest.

Akhobadze's attorney states that there is no video evidence to corroborate Akhobadze's guilt. He also points out that Akhobadze's DNA was found not on the drug packets themselves, but on the packaging tape, raising suspicions of potential DNA transfer.

Akhobadze's arrest and subsequent trial have sparked significant public outcry. Many believe his detention is politically motivated, directly linked to his active civic engagement.

«That thing they accuse me of, I did not put it in my pocket, they put it there»
—Giorgi Akhobadze

«There is no evidence in nature that will prove my guilt and justify my imprisonment!»
—Giorgi Akhobadze

Tragically, after his arrest, Akhobadze suffered a personal loss: his ailing mother, whom he had been caring for before his incarceration, passed away.

During a January hearing, Akhobadze delivered an emotional address to the court, specifically to prosecutor Shmagi Gobejishvili: "I consider you a murderer; you didn't give me the opportunity to care for my mother. You didn't give me the chance to provide the help to the most important patient of my life that absolutely all my patients have received. I have never let a single patient leave this world without that additional effort that goes beyond all medical protocols, and my colleagues might sometimes call it 'beating a dead horse,' but there are specific people walking this earth today who are alive only because I didn't stop their emergency care, their cardiopulmonary resuscitation, for 40 minutes, but for two hours. And you, with your unsubstantiated, bloodless, utterly senseless decision, didn't allow me to take the exact same steps with the most important patient of my life that every one of my patients has received."

In a letter sent from prison, he expressed gratitude to his supporters and spoke of the pain of losing his mother, emphasizing the profound importance of bidding her farewell.

Akhobadze's letter also addressed the ongoing protests, noting that this movement represents "the last chance" that must be seized. He urged the public to unite and continue the fight, despite his imprisonment. "The fight will be to the end!" Akhobadze declared.

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Akhobadze's case involves several questionable circumstances that cast doubt on the right to a fair trial. The public demands a transparent and objective investigation to establish the truth and ensure justice.

«I think and feel that this movement today is the last chance we must take»
— Giorgi Akhobadze

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Court Proceedings and Suspicious Circumstances

On March 18, the Tbilisi City Court again ruled to keep Akhobadze in custody. During the proceedings, Akhobadze stated, "There is only one truth in this courtroom, and I am speaking that truth! And if you want to prove that I am lying or giving false testimony... you could have investigated this and brought additional charges. But you cannot do that because the people who brought this case to you have made mistakes at every turn, which you have not allowed me to discover, identify, or present in court."

Akhobadze emphasized that he informed the court during the very first session about the illegal planting of the narcotic substance. According to the "Procedural Code," the prosecution is obligated to initiate an investigation as soon as it becomes aware of a violation of the law. However, Akhobadze claims that the prosecution is leveraging its advantage and preventing him from obtaining crucial evidence, such as "112" camera recordings, which could help identify the police officers involved in his arrest. He suspects that many more officers participated in the arrest than are listed in the case materials, and that two high-ranking police officers have "disappeared from the case."

He also pointed out that the patrol officer who handled his ID card could have left fingerprints and DNA traces. Similarly, the items allegedly planted in his pocket would likely bear the DNA of the police officers involved in the operation. The expert's conclusion indicates that the DNA found on the items does not match Akhobadze's DNA, suggesting the presence of another person's trace, but the court has failed to ensure the examination of this evidence.

Witness Police Officer's Testimony and Further Doubts

On May 9 the courtroom erupted in applause for the defendant, who had celebrated his 44th birthday the day before. The proceedings began with the questioning of witness police officer Revaz Zirakashvili, who participated in Akhobadze's search and arrest. Zirakashvili's testimony—that he, Koberidze, and Tabidze searched Akhobadze, while the other three officers searched his companion, Levan Beridze—raises serious doubts.

Zirakashvili claimed that there was no opportunity for recording or finding a neutral witness. However, during cross-examination, it became clear:
Zirakashvili had a phone with video recording capabilities, as did other officers.
Akhobadze offered no resistance, so the officers' hands would have been free.
The police officers were armed, had handcuffs, and the authority to issue lawful orders, providing sufficient leverage to detain Akhobadze without hindering recording.
Akhobadze has mobility issues and would not have been able to escape anyway.
The search of Akhobadze and his companion began at the exact same minute, despite the police being able to use Levan Beridze as a neutral witness during Akhobadze's search.
There were cars moving on the street, and the police could have stopped any of them to act as witnesses during the search.

The defense argues that Giorgi Akhobadze was stopped by the police before the arrival of these patrol cars, and that significantly more police officers were involved in his arrest and search. If the witness's testimony and the case materials accurately reflected reality, the police would have had every means to substantiate the search with neutral evidence. The defense asserts this was not done because the drugs "found" on Giorgi Akhobadze were planted by the police.

On May 21, Judge Mikheil Jinjolia addressed Akhobadze, stating, "If something you wrote on paper is repeated, you will leave the courtroom!" Akhobadze responded that he was "hearing lies" from witnesses in the session, and his notes on the paper were indeed about "false witnesses." During this proceeding, detectives Giorgi Khargelia and Aleksi Lobzhanidze were questioned. They stated that they received information via WhatsApp that Akhobadze had drugs "both personally and at home and in his car."

On June 10, during a court session, Giorgi Akhobadze identified the police officer who, he claims, led the drug "planting operation" and had the first physical contact with him. This individual is Giorgi Gureshidze, head of one of the departments of the Central Criminal Police Department. Akhobadze stated that while he was at the police station, Gureshidze received a call from Levan Maisuradze, the current director of the Tbilisi Patrol Police Department. "His phone call with Gureshidze happened in front of my eyes," Akhobadze declared. He explained that he recognized both Gureshidze and Maisuradze after personnel changes within the Ministry of Internal Affairs; he remembered their faces and where they worked but did not know their names.

The following day, Akhobadze stated in court that his notebook, where he took notes from witness testimonies and made various marks during the proceedings, was confiscated in prison. Akhobadze linked this to his statement made the previous day, saying, "If Gureshidze is so hurt that his name has been revealed, then let him be kind enough to come to court as a witness, bring his phone's geolocation, where he was on the night of December 7-8, and if I'm saying anything untrue, I will be silent... If he is so nervous, if he was so bothered that he called the prison, had my notebook confiscated and so on, I don't know if it was him or Gobejishvili, let him come out and say where he was on the night of December 7-8."

On June 11, Judge Mikheil Jinjolia completely closed the proceedings, including ordering journalists to leave the According to lawyer Mariam Madzgharashvili, "As in all other court sessions, when a witness got confused and had difficulty answering, the prosecutor provided the answers." courtroom

During the June 17 hearing, Akhobadze sharply addressed the court: "Civilized people created courts so that justice would no longer be administered by barbaric means. When justice cannot be found in courtrooms, humans are creatures who seek that justice elsewhere. I want to tell them that 'Borinka Radnoy' will not always be the master of this country." He also addressed the prosecutor: "When Gabitashvili [the former Prosecutor General] gave you that certificate, write my name on the back, because in a few years we will definitely talk." (Video: Giorgi Akhobadze's statement in cour

At the next session on June 19, an expert who conducted a biological examination was questioned. This expertise is considered the only "neutral evidence" in the case by the prosecution. The expert stated that Akhobadze's DNA was found on the drug's packaging material, but no DNA traces were found on the transparent packet where, according to the prosecutor, the drug was located.

khobadze's lawyers spent two hours trying to determine whether biological material could be transferred to an object without direct contact. The defense was interested in the origin of the biological material and how the DNA ended up on the evidence. According to the lawyer, Giorgi's sweat gland samples were taken on site, which was not recorded in the protocol. Giorgi suspects that his armpits were wiped, which may have allowed for the transfer of biological material to the drug packaging material, enabling the falsification of evidence.

It was revealed during the session that the expert took general swabs, meaning that from the five independent adhesive tapes sent by the investigators, the alleged traces were collected with a single swab. Akhobadze asked if it was possible for one tape with his DNA to transfer traces to other tapes, but the prosecution avoided all important questions of this nature.

In comments made after the court session, the defense noted that this evidence cannot be considered neutral, which was confirmed by the day's proceedings. They stated that the only neutral evidence would have been a video recording of the search or the presence of a neutral witness, neither of which the police provided. (Video: Expert's questioning)

Numerous suspicious circumstances surround Giorgi Akhobadze's case, raising questions about his right to a fair trial. The public demands a transparent and objective investigation to establish the truth and ensure justice. The court is set to deliver its verdict in Akhobadze's case on June 25, but his fight for truth, it seems, is far from over.