Civic activist and participant in pro-European rallies, Lekso Samkharadze, has been sentenced to 14 days in prison by Tbilisi City Court Judge Manuchar Tsatsua for "verbally insulting" Davit Matikashvili, a member of Georgian Dream.
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The case concerns a video published by Lekso Samkharadze on June 2, where he addresses Davit Matikashvili as he enters a cafe, with protest shouts: "Ole, Ola... f*** the mother of the Qotsi”. This song is frequently heard at anti-government demonstrations. "Go extinct in Russia, you little Qotsi," Samkharadze says.
Matikashvili filed a complaint against the activist. Following this, the Ministry of Internal Affairs drew up an administrative offense report against Samkharadze under Article 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code, which entails verbal insult, abusive language, offensive harassment, and/or other insulting actions against a Georgian state-political official, state employee, or public servant during the performance of official duties or in connection with the performance of official duties or activities. The penalty for this article is a fine ranging from GEL 1,500 to GEL 4,000 or administrative imprisonment for up to 45 days. Numerous activists, journalists, and politicians have faced administrative charges under this article.
The Georgian Dream parliament introduced this article into the Code on February 6, 2025. Previously, similar actions were not considered an offense.
Lekso Samkharadze did not attend the court hearing on June 13 as a sign of protest. "No matter how my lawyer defends me, a guilty verdict will still be rendered. I do not recognize the judicial authority, I will not enter the courtroom with the corrupt, sanctioned judge Manuchar Tsatsua, and I will not grant him legitimacy," he said in a video address.
He had a court-appointed lawyer during the proceedings. Samkharadze was not informed of the June 13 decision by either his lawyer or the court. On June 14, he was arrested in the street by individuals dressed in civilian clothes.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, "Aleksandre Samkharadze avoided appearing in court. Consequently, to enforce the court's decision, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested him. Aleksandre Samkharadze has been transferred to a temporary detention isolator."
