Tbilisi City Court Judge Lela Tsagareishvili recognized Giorgi Dumbadze, a participant in the protests against the Russian Law, as a violator and fined him 5,000 GEL. The 18-year-old activist was accused by the Internal Affairs Ministry of violating the rules of holding a gathering or demonstration, particularly for organizing a roadblock in front of the Parliament building.
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Lawyer Dimitri Nozadze stated that the Internal Affairs Ministry presented footage aired on television as evidence to the court. Therefore, it has not been established that Giorgi Dumbadze was the organizer of the road blocking.
"The Internal Affairs Ministry operates under the premise that simply holding a loudspeaker can constitute organizing. They were unable to provide criteria for how they reached this conclusion. The judge did not approve the petition, and the policeman who filed the report was not summoned to court," stated the human rights defender.
A few weeks after participating in the demonstrations, some citizens became aware that administrative offense protocols had been drawn up against them. In Giorgi Dumbadze's case, the incident relates to the April 24 march against Russian law.
"On the events of April 24, an administrative offense case was filed in court on May 15. The police did not resist us at the scene; instead, they cleared the way for us to cross the road. I informed the judge that there was no organizer present; people did not require instructions to cross the road. Blocking the roadway was not a priority; it was a means for us to march. We also mentioned that we allowed buses, ambulances, and other vehicles to pass. Our objective was not to inconvenience citizens. However, it appears irrelevant who expresses what within these chambers. Decisions seem predetermined, and the judge shared with us what was likely conveyed to him a few days earlier," stated Giorgi Dumbadze in the city court.
The trial of the participants in actions against the Russian Law is ongoing in the Tbilisi City Court. Today, photographer Luka Ghviniashvili was fined 2400 GEL, while Dimitri Ioselian and Nikoloz Alkhazashvili were each fined 2400 GEL.
The Internal Affairs Ministry has administratively detained about two hundred people for actions against the Russian Law regarding so-called Foreign Agents. Nine individuals have been held accountable under criminal charges by the prosecutor's office for assaulting a police officer and damaging property.
