Tbilisi City Court Judge Irakli Chikashua recognized Lazare Grigoriadis, who was administratively detained during a protest against the Russian Law, as a violator and fined him 2300 GEL. The Ministry of Internal Affairs accused Grigoriadis of petty hooliganism and disobeying the police.
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As Lazare Grigoriadis says, the judge based his decision solely on the testimony of two police officers.
"My protest was an exercise of freedom of expression. I was at the rally for only 10 minutes. I tapped on the barrier set up by the police, and when they began arresting people, we retreated to avoid being caught. That's when I was arrested. The judge made a ruling as if I had verbally abused a policeman," Grigoriadis commented after the court session.
Lazare Grigoriadis was arrested near the parliament on May 14 during a demonstration against the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents. He claims that during the protest, police officers physically and verbally abused him. Grigoriadis spent 48 hours in a pre-trial detention cell.
Grigoriadis, who had participated in actions against the Russian Law in March 2023, was convicted of assaulting police officers and damaging state property. On April 12, 2024, Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Sharadze sentenced him to 9 years in prison, but he was pardoned by the president and released on April 24.
Following his release, Lazare Grigoriadis participated in renewed protests against the Russian Law, organized by Georgian Dream.
Thousands protested against the adoption of the Russian Law in Tbilisi from April 15, continuing for nearly a month and a half. The Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested over 200 participants of the demonstrations under administrative and criminal charges. Many alleged excessive force, mistreatment, and physical retaliation by police officers. During the protests, members of various Ministry of Internal Affairs units reportedly assaulted opposition politicians and activists such as Aleko Elisashvili, Levan Khabeishvili, and Davit Katsarava. The Special Investigation Service received a total of 138 reports regarding potential illegal actions by law enforcement officers and has initiated an investigation, though no officers have yet been charged.
