Georgian journalist and pro-European activist Nika Katsia released from courtroom
Nika Katsia released in Georgia
Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili acquitted journalist Nika Katsia, who had been arrested during the pro-European protests on charges of drug possession, and ordered his immediate release from the courtroom.
The judge ruled that the charge of purchasing and possession of a large quantity of drugs was unfounded, and Katsia was fully cleared of all accusations.
Nika Katsia was arrested on 8 December 2024. According to his lawyer, law enforcement officers had been waiting for him outside his home before searching him on the street. The defence argued that the arrest was politically motivated and that the charges were baseless.
Prosecutors initially requested pre-trial detention, citing the risk of reoffending, flight or destruction of evidence.
The defence petitioned for bail, but the judge ordered Katsia to be held in custody for two months pending the preliminary hearing.
This is the third recent case in which a court has acquitted an activist accused of drug-related offences. Earlier, Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili cleared Giorgi Akhobadze, while Judge Tamar Tkeshelashvili released Tedo Abramov directly from the courtroom.
Not all political prisoners, however, receive acquittals. On 3 September, Judge Nino Galustashvili sentenced 11 protesters to two years in prison under the article on organising group actions that disturb public order.
On the same day, Judge Jvabe Nachkebia sentenced Saba Skhvitaridze, who had been detained during the pro-European rallies, to two years in prison. Skhvitaridze was accused of intentionally causing minor injury to Mirian Kavtaradze, head of the main investigative department of Tbilisi police.
Nika Katsia released in Georgia
