Vephkhia Kasradze

Apprehended

Tortured

Violence

Prisoner

V. Kasradze

Vephkhia
Kasradze

On December 4, 2024, law enforcement detained 54-year-old Vepkhia Kasradze. A member of the Lelo party, a Tskhinvali theater actor, a father of five, and a veteran who fought in the Abkhazian and 2008 wars, he is now in custody. His family members, colleagues, and human rights defenders claim that this detention is a politically motivated move aimed at suppressing dissent.

Simultaneously with the arrest, investigators searched his home, sealed it, and seized all electronic devices. From the next day, his family was under surveillance: "They started looking for weapons. I found the children's toy guns and gave them to them. It's unclear what they were looking for. My young children were there too, and they told me to take them away. Where could I take them? They were already in the house. I told the police that life in my country was no longer worth it, but where can you go, we can't all leave this country, and you should be calm and you won't have problems, one of the officers said," recalls Elene Krotenko, Vepkhia's wife. She is Ukrainian, with some of her family still in Kyiv. Elene is also pro-European, and the Georgian Dream's decision to suspend Georgia's EU integration process was a severe blow to her. She was an observer in Shida Kartli during the 2024 elections. An English language specialist, she says she spoke in detail to international organizations that arrived in Ergneti about election irregularities.

Kasradze is charged with "organizing group violence" and "participating in group violence." The prosecution bases its case on a covert video recording broadcast by the pro-government television channel Imedi. In the recording, Kasradze and Vasil Kadzelashvili allegedly discuss organizing violent acts. However, Kasradze's lawyers argue that the recording's authenticity has not been established, and the evidence was obtained illegally.

On December 7th, along with him, seven other defendants sat in the dock, charged with organizing and participating in group violence. These were young people aged 19, 20, and 21. Judge Irakli Khuskivadze ordered all of them into custody. Of the eight defendants, three—Zviad Tsetskhladze, Vepkhia Kasradze, and Vasil Kadzelashvili—are charged with organizing and leading group violence, facing 6 to 9 years in prison. The other five—Giorgi Gorgadze, Irakli Miminoshvili, Insaf Aliyev, Tornike Goshadze, and Nikoloz Javakhishvili—are charged with participating in group violence, which carries a sentence of 4 to 6 years.

On January 11th, Khuskivadze upheld the detention of the eight people arrested during the protests. The defendants did not attend the announcement of the decision.

The lawyers who have defended the defendants from the first day were also absent. They left the proceedings a few hours earlier in protest, claiming that the courtroom environment was degrading and inhumane—the session was held in a small room, and the judge refused to grant a motion to move to a larger room. Vepkhia Kasradze said at the hearing:

«I want everyone to attend. We have a right to see our children and loved ones, I think. Otherwise, it's all a farce and a show, and we don't want to participate at all, I'll leave the hearing»
— Vepkhia Kasradze said at hearing

Khuskivadze ignored everything.

The defense emphasizes that the prosecution has not presented decisive evidence directly indicating Kasradze's involvement in violent acts. At one court hearing, Kasradze's lawyer, Kakha Kojoridze, asked the prosecutor to name at least one person Kasradze knew and with whom he had agreed to commit group violence. The prosecutor could not provide a specific answer. Kasradze's lawyers also inquired about the timing of the covertly recorded video, as this is not clear from the presented recording, and the prosecution has not presented additional evidence in response.

"Such content could not physically be from other protests," the prosecutor stated.

Despite the fact that a specific factual connection between the defendant and violent acts has not been confirmed, the Tbilisi City Court kept him in custody on March 6th.

«"These shouldn't be just phrases; the prosecution must substantiate these assumptions with evidence. At the hearing, the prosecutor couldn't name even one person whose actions Vepkhia organized. They couldn't say what illegal actions followed the 'organized' actions. I asked, 'Name one person whose violent act Vepkhia organized,' so there is no legal basis!" says Kakha Kojoridze, adding, "Thinking is not a crime."»

For the lawyer, the court proceedings involving those arrested during the protests are a revival of the "zero tolerance" policy, aimed at suppressing protest and intimidating people.

On March 6th, Tbilisi City Court Judge Davit Mgeliashvili kept all eight demonstrators arrested on charges of group violence in custody. The hearing, which lasted almost 9 hours, considered the issue of reviewing the preventive measure for the defendants. The prosecution requested the use of detention as a preventive measure, citing "risk of flight and committing a crime."

According to the prosecutor, the defendants threw stones, glass bottles, and found objects at the police during the protest.

One defendant's lawyer, Nikoloz Javakhishvili, Guja Avsajanishvili, added a bail statement to the case materials, expressed through a protest banner. One side of the banner read, "Freedom for the regime's prisoners," and the other side had the signatures of citizens supporting the release of the demonstrators arrested in the group violence case.

At the hearing on March 12th, the parties discussed the admissibility of evidence. Defense lawyers argued that the evidence in the case did not meet the high standard of proof that confirms the existence of a crime. They said that the criminal prosecution in the case should be terminated and the case should not be transferred to substantive review.

During the proceedings, the defense requested the inadmissibility of several pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution, but the judge sided with the prosecution and admitted these pieces of evidence.

After this, the lawyers requested the recusal of Judge Mgeliashvili. Kasradze's lawyer, Kakha Kojoridze, said: "There is a circumstance that casts doubt on the judge's objectivity and impartiality—your decisions at the previous hearing and today regarding the extension of detention and the admissibility of evidence have created a set of arguments that create the assumption that you, unfortunately, cannot be objective and impartial."

All other lawyers and defendants agreed with this motion. However, Davit Mgeliashvili did not grant the request for his recusal.

«I will die fighting this injustice. I will die with a smile. If you want to torture me, torture me as you wish, I will not tolerate this injustice. I will show you such self-sacrifice and dedication that no one has ever seen»
—Vepkhia Kasradze said at the court hearing.

He said he feels that he is being subjected to targeted political persecution and that the court is completely devoid of any justice. This is a biased court that carries out the orders of one man.

«How do you think, Mr. Judge, with 20 years of combat experience, would I engage in a case with 19-year-olds? There is no evidence that we had any connection. How could I have made contact with these people? I didn't know them, there were no phone calls. I saw them for the first time and I'm happy that we have such smiling boys.»
—Vepkhia Kasradze

For Kasradze, imprisonment is not only a restriction of freedom but also an attack on his physical health. He underwent nasal surgery due to breathing problems, and due to post-operative complications, he was transferred to the "Vivamed" clinic again on February 7th. Notably, he was returned to his cell on the same day as the surgery. Shortly before, Guja Avsajanishvili, the lawyer of Revaz Kiknadze, another person arrested at protest demonstrations, reported that according to Kiknadze, Vepkhia Kasradze, a demonstrator imprisoned with him, was "very ill" and "not receiving proper attention."

His next court hearing will take place on March 24th. In the meantime, family members, human rights defenders, and his lawyers are trying to draw the attention of the public and international organizations to this case.

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