Saba Meparishvili

Apprehended

Tortured

Violence

Prisoner

S. Meparishvili

Saba
Meparishvili

Omar Okribelashvili and Saba Meparishvili, two young individuals, were arrested on May 14, 2024, during a protest against the "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence" on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. They were accused of collectively damaging a metal barrier belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, located in front of the Georgian Parliament building, an offense under Article 187, Part 2, Subsection "g" of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

The prosecutor, Nugzar Chitadze, disputed the defense's position, asserting that the evidence indicated a group offense. The prosecution sought a sentence of 3 to 6 years of imprisonment for the defendants.

Judge Nato Khujadze of the Tbilisi City Court ordered the pretrial detention of the defendants. The decision was met with protests from the defendants' families.

«They are sending them to prison for nothing, they were arrested for damaging a 400-lari 'tin sheet,' and they are not even releasing them on bail.»
—Shorena Rokhadze, Saba Meparishvili's mother

During the protest, Okribelashvili and Meparishvili, along with others, allegedly used physical force and metal objects to damage the barrier, valued at 400 Georgian Lari. Initially both defendants partially admitted to the act of damaging the barrier but denied acting as a group. Okribelashvili testified in court that he witnessed the "kidnapping of a young child" at the protest, which he considered a provocation, and decided to damage the barrier in an emotional state. He also stated that he attended the protest to express his civic stance against the "Russian Law."

«.. I had the urge to cause damage because the government does not pay attention to the people and acts according to its own will... I was there for Georgia... I wanted the Russian law to be repealed»
—Saba Meparishvili

«... I was at the protest against the Russian law and saw how a young boy was taken away. I wouldn't call it an abduction; it was more like he was thrown into the air. When someone is taken like that, it's the same as a provocation, in my opinion»
—Omar Okribelashvili

On January 20th, during a court hearing, Omar Okribelashvili and Saba Meparishvili admitted to the charges against them. The prosecution emphasized that they were charged with group damage to the 400 Lari barrier, and as Prosecutor Nugzar Chitadze confirmed, the defendants had also compensated for the damage. The possibility of a plea agreement was first discussed during the January 13th hearing.

According to the plea agreement, Omar Okribelashvili and Saba Meparishvili were found guilty of the charges against them. They were sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment, but due to the amnesty of September 17, 2024, their sentence was reduced to 2 years and 6 months. Of this, the convicts will serve 1.5 years of actual imprisonment, and 1 year was given as a suspended sentence. Consequently, both of them will spend another 10 months in the penitentiary institution.

During the court proceedings, the defense expressed a desire to initiate negotiations with the prosecution for a plea agreement. The prosecutor stated that the prosecution is obligated to consider this request.

Several questionable circumstances surround the case. Firstly, it is unclear why the damage to a 400-lari barrier was classified as a group offense. Secondly, it is questionable why the court ordered pretrial detention for young individuals with no prior criminal record.

Ultimately, the Okribelashvili and Meparishvili case raises questions about the fairness of the judicial process and may represent an attempt to intimidate participants in peaceful protests.

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