18:06, 18 January 2020

"Girchi" Party leader refuses to pay fine for participating in picket in Tbilisi

Clashes between protesters and policemen in Tbilisi, November 18, 2019. Photo by Inna Kukudzhanova for the Caucasian Knot

In Tbilisi, the court imposed a fine on Zurab Djaparidze for participating in a protest action held by supporters of a change in the electoral system. The fine was imposed two months after the protest action had taken place. Zurab Djaparidze accused law enforcers of falsifying materials on his alleged failure to obey to the police. The activist claimed he would not pay a fine.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that starting from November 14, 2019, a round-the-clock protest action was held in front of the Georgian parliament building. The protest began after Georgian MPs failed to vote for the bill to change the electoral system. On November 18, law enforcers used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse the protesters and detained 37 activists, including Zurab Djaparidze, the leader of the "Girchi" Party. Four persons were injured, including two policemen.

The Tbilisi City Court acquitted Zurab Djaparidze of petty hooliganism, but found him guilty of disobeying the police. On January 17, Zurab Djaparidze himself reported on his Facebook page about the court's decision pronounced two months after the protest action.

"All the people who attended the trial saw that the ordinary false evidence had been presented. The report itself ‑ two pages written by 13 people ‑ was fabricated by the police. When the judge left the courtroom to make a decision, we talked to policemen and they admitted that they were lying. Despite that fact, the judge imposed a fine on me," said Zurab Djaparidze as quoted by the "News-Georgia" on January 17.

The leader of the "Girchi" Party announced his intention to challenge in the near future the court's decision on the fine. Zurab Djaparidze closed all his banking accounts in advance not to pay fines to the state, the "News-Georgia" reported.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 18, 2020 at 10:25 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.