The Prosecutor’s Office has charged Bacho Akhalaia in connection with the October 4 protests. He is accused of “organizing and leading group violence,” which carries a prison sentence of up to nine years.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, investigations by the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs found that Akhalaia, using technical mobile communication tools, organized and personally directed the criminal actions of Paata Burchuladze, Murtaz Zodelava, Irakli Nadiradze, Paata Manjgaladze, Lasha Beridze, and others. These actions allegedly involved organizing group violence, attempts to forcibly change Georgia’s constitutional order, calls to overthrow state authorities, and attempts to seize strategically important objects.
The Prosecutor’s Office also claims that, under Akhalaia’s leadership, Burchuladze, Zodelava, and Nadiradze publicly called for the mobilization of “aggressively inclined citizens” on October 4.
“At a protest held at Freedom Square, Paata Burchuladze presented a pre-prepared action plan to the gathered citizens, which included the immediate detention of certain government officials and carrying out various violent acts,” the statement said.
Akhalaia was charged under Article 225, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia [organizing and leading group violence], which provides for up to nine years in prison. The Prosecutor’s Office has also requested pretrial detention for him.