Court finds Tbilisi protest participant Abramov not guilty

The Tbilisi City Court has found Tedo Abramov, accused of a drug crime, not guilty; he was released in the courtroom.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" reported, Russian citizens Artem Gribul and Anastasia Zinovkina, who participated in protests in Tbilisi, were arrested in Georgia on similar charges. They claim that evidence was planted on them, and security forces resorted to threats.

The court found 22-year-old Abramov, detained during protests in late 2024 on charges of drug possession, not guilty. The decision was made by Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili. Abramov, who had been awaiting the verdict in prison for eight months, was released. He was met outside the courthouse by numerous friends, relatives, and supporters. Abramov himself thanked everyone for their support and promised to help other protesters who ended up behind bars. "Whoever ends up here, remember that I am with you," the Novosti-Georgia news agency quotes him as saying.

Tedo Abramov lives in Greece and came to Tbilisi to visit his elderly grandmother. His last visit coincided with mass protests in response to the government's decision to suspend negotiations on Georgia's membership in the EU. He participated in rallies, supporting the country's European integration.

On December 7, 2024, security forces detained Abramov near his home, claiming that there were drugs in his pocket. Abramov himself denied guilt from the very beginning, claiming that the drugs were planted on him. He is charged under Part 6 of Article 260 of the Criminal Code (purchase, storage and carrying of narcotics in especially large quantities), which provides for a maximum penalty of imprisonment for a term of 8 to 20 years or life imprisonment, Georgia Online clarifies.

According to Judge Mchedlishvili, law enforcement officers could have made a video recording, brought in a neutral witness, which would have eliminated doubts about the correctness of the accusation, and also ensured confidence in the search of the accused, the Sova publication notes.

The prosecutor's office will appeal the city court's decision to the Court of Appeal. "An investigation conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs established that the accused illegally acquired and stored a narcotic substance weighing 4.41548 grams," Interpressnews quotes the prosecutor's office as saying.

Note that since November 28, 2024, protesters in Tbilisi have been holding daily rallies outside the Georgian parliament and blocking traffic on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding the release of all arrested supporters of European integration and the appointment of new parliamentary elections.

"Caucasian Knot" published a report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia". The "Caucasian Knot" collected materials about the parliamentary elections and the protests that followed them on the page "Elections in Georgia-2024".