The court has arrested former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia in absentia.

In June 2019, security forces dispersed protesters outside the Georgian parliament building using tear gas and rubber bullets. According to the Ministry of Health, 240 people were hospitalized. The protests began after Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov sat in the speaker's chair during a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Georgian Parliament building. The ECHR found violations of the article prohibiting torture during the dispersal of the protest on "Gavrilov's Night" and ordered the country's authorities to pay 26 applicants compensation ranging from 1,800 to 15,000 euros. The court also ordered an investigation and the identification of those responsible for dispersing the peaceful protest.

The lawyers believe the charges are fabricated. They recall that the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, personally promised to "punish" the former leader of his team, who defected to the opposition.

Giorgi Gakharia denies guilt, stated his lawyer, Berdia Sichinava. "This has no connection to the legal process. There are no factual legal grounds or evidence confirming his guilt," InterPressNews quoted him as saying.

The politician has been charged under Part 3 of Article 117 and Part 2 of Article 333 of the Georgian Criminal Code – intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm and abuse of power. These crimes are punishable by imprisonment for a term of 9 to 13 years.

Gakharia left Georgia this summer. According to media reports, he is currently in Berlin. He was not present at today's hearing. The former prime minister may now be placed on a wanted list, the publication adds.

Giorgi Gakharia responded to the criminal prosecution against him on social media, writing that the Georgian Dream regime has officially institutionalized political persecution against him by bringing false criminal charges. According to him, "his imprisonment is a direct fulfillment of Bidzina Ivanishvili's pre-election threat."

"Yesterday, the Georgian Dream regime officially institutionalized political persecution against me on trumped-up criminal charges. Today, the court ordered my detention. This is the fulfillment of Bidzina Ivanishvili's pre-election threat, when he publicly stated that 'his criminal cases are under the control of the judicial system,'" Gakharia wrote.

"Unfortunately, both the democratic forces of Georgia and the West have collectively lost the battle against propaganda. "However, we must not lose the far more important battle to preserve the European idea in Georgia. Losing this battle will have serious and long-term consequences not only for our country but for the entire region," the politician added.

"Despite the increasingly repressive environment, freedom and democracy are deeply rooted in Georgian society. The idea of Europe must be preserved in Georgia, and Georgia must remain on the West's agenda. Severing ties will only accelerate the country's transition into Russia's sphere of influence," the statement reads.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that a criminal investigation had been launched into crimes against the state, with the prosecutor's office naming Georgia's third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, and seven opposition leaders among the suspects. The charges include organizing protests after the 2024 elections, hostile activity against Georgia, and calls for the overthrow of the government.