City Court resumes litigation on mutiny in Mukhrovani military base

Yesterday, on September 14, the Tbilisi City Court considered the case on the so-called "Mukhrovani mutiny". 34 defendants have admitted their guilt of disobedience to the order of the commander of Mukhrovani battalion, when they refused to go out for preparing for the Georgia's Independence Day. Disobedience to the commander's order is punished under part 2, Article 316 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

The defendants have stated that after the defeat in the August war, going to a parade for them was an insult of the officer's dignity. Two of them - Amiridze (he was arrested together with Otanadze and Krialishvili) and Gvaladze (under whose evidences Kobaladze was arrested) - pled partially guilty under Article 376 "Concealments of information".

Messrs Kobaladze, Otanadze, Kobaidze, Sandodze (taxi driver who gave a lift to Krialishvili, Otanadze and Amiridze) and company commander of the Mukhrovani battalion Dzhguniashvili refused to admit their guilt. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learnt about it from Gela Nikolaishvili, advocate of one of the defendants - General Kobaladze.

"Apparently, they agreed with the offer of the authorities on procedural agreement and changed their preliminary evidences. The point is that the court has deadlocked. There are no proofs, except for oral evidences of defendant Giya Gvaladze, who recognized that he had prepared an armed rebellion with the aim of overthrow the legitimate power."

The advocate has noted that in the course of considering the case Mr Gvaladze had already changed his evidences several times.

Mr Nikolaishvili has also noted that all the 24 volumes on this case have not a single proof of any links of the defendants with Russian special services.