Criminal Prosecution against Georgian Dream’s Activists Dropped

Criminal prosecution against the people accused for voters-buying was dropped. On November 27, judge passed verdict based on the prosecutor’s motion at the trial in Kutaisi City Court.

Activists of the Georgian Dream Nino Kurua, Mikheil Meskhi, Mikheil Amashukeli, Koba Jabua and Gaga Ambroladze were charged under Article 1611 of the Criminal Code of Georgia – voters-buying. Prosecutor’s office requested to drop criminal prosecution against them.

The activists were arrested on June 10, 2012 when they were distributing information leaf-lets.

Supreme Court also spread information about the release of the detainees. “On June 10, 2012 Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia had scheduled an assembly in Kutaisi. In order to promote participation of citizens in the assembly, on June 5, 2012 party’s activists held meetings with local population; in the frame of these meetings they asked citizens to fill in booklets and promised them to satisfy their material requests written in the booklets in the frame of 1000 lari. At the trial on November 27, 2012 prosecutor solicited at the trial to discharge Kurua, Amashukeli, Jabua, Meskhi and Ambroladze from criminal liability that will result into the halt of criminal case based on the national law.”

The trial was several times postponed during several months.

“These children were arrested on political grounds. Court was waiting for the elections when it was postponing trials on this case. If Georgian Dream had won the elections, court would have recognized them non-guilty. It is fact, that previous government persecuted every person who was linked with Georgian Dream. Accusation against those young people was also ungrounded and thanks to god everything finished. Imprisonment could damage their psychic and future,” chairwoman of the Kutaisi office of the Republic Party Nato Katamadze told humanrights.ge

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi