Trial of Tsotne Gamsakhurdia to resume on February 18

The litigation on the case of Tsotne - the son of the first president of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia - will resume at the Tbilisi City Court on February 18 at 1:30 p.m., said his advocate Keti Bekauri.

According to her story, the defence plans to lodge 16 petitions at the trial. They refer change of the freedom restriction measure, challenge of the public prosecutor, interrogation of additional witnesses and combining two criminal cases, initiated against Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, into one trial.

Ms Bekauri has noted that well-known public figures are ready to stand bail for Tsotne Gamsakhurdia.

The first session was to take place on February 8, but it was postponed because of the illness of Judge Merab Dzhorbenadze.

On February 10, representatives of Georgian Ombudsman visited Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, who is at the prison medical establishment and holds a hunger strike, demanding an objective and fair trial.

According to Tsotne, he had refused from any medical aid and medicines and addressed the prison administration in writing that he would not like to see anybody, except for his prior and advocate.

He has added that he does not eat, but only drinks water and tea with sugar, and stated that he had no claims to the administration.

In the opinion of the medical expert of the Ombudsman's office, the today's state of health of Tsotne Gamsakhurdia is not critical, but, because of his long hunger strike, his health aggravation in the near future is not excluded.

On that very day, February 10, the Ombudsman's office housed a meeting with participation, along with supporters of the Gamsakhurdia family, of Bidzina Gudzhabidze, Soso Shatberashvili, Gubaz Sanikidze, Dzhaba Dzhishkariani and Lasha Chkhartishvili.

It was marked at the meeting that Tsotne Gamsakhurdia, who is on hunger strike for more that a month, was visited by David Asatiani, head of the health department of the Ministry for Enforcing Punishments, Probation and Legal Aid. He told Tsotne's mother - Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia that his son's condition is extremely grave, and if he does not stop his hunger strike, his life will be under threat.

The "Georgia Online" writes that it was stated at the meeting that Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia was not allowed to meet her son.