Georgia: advocates of convicts for espionage for Russia challenge sentence

Within two weeks the lawyers of defendants, accused in Georgia in espionage for Russia, have the right to file a lawsuit to the Court of Appeal. According to the lawyer Gela Nikolaishvili, all lawyers will use this right and appeal against the verdict sentenced on July 6 in the Batumi City Court.

All convicted were on charges of espionage, called "Enver" by the secret services of Georgia. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia, the network "Enver" had been monitored during 4 years, the suspects were arrested in November 2010. The Batumi City Court convicted guilty nine accused of espionage – four citizens of Russia and five citizens of Georgia, and sentenced them to imprisonment for the terms from 11 to 14 years.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by the lawyer Gela Nikolaishvili, Prosecutor Zvida Fkhakadze built the charges on the words "alleged" and "probably". Despite the fact that in all five electronic data carriers, which were confiscated from the houses of the accused as material evidence, no data that could prove the crime were found, the Prosecutor said that, allegedly, the accused had a relationship with the Russian secret services, "since their former colleague and friend, who now lives in Russia, works for the FSB".

According to the Prosecutor, the accused military pilots were talking on the phone with that person, and, once they had such relationship, allegedly, they passed secret information. The Prosecutor asked for the six defendants – Abashidze, Diasamidze, Meskhidze, Sakoyan, Gevorkyan and Abdulaev – 11.5 years of imprisonment, for Kakabadze, Galogre and Skrylnikov the Prosecutor demanded 14 years of imprisonment.

According to Gela Nikolaishvili, the Judge reduced the sentence to only six months for seven accused.