Anton Chechin Sentenced to Long Term in Georgia

A court in Tbilisi sentenced Russian citizen Anton Chechin to 8 years and 6 months in prison on charges of drug possession. Chechin claims that the drugs were planted on him for participating in pro-European protests. After the verdict, bailiffs violently evicted the support group from the building.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" reported, Russian citizen Anton Chechin has been charged in Georgia with drug possession. According to his lawyer, the activist is being persecuted because of his participation in protests in Tbilisi, and the testimony of prosecution witnesses is questionable and insufficient. Chechin has been diagnosed with a brain cyst, which is why he needs medical care. Drug charges have been brought against several other protest participants, including Russians Anton Chechin, Artem Gribul, and Anastasia Zinovkina. Chechin and Gribul announced a dry hunger strike in prison on July 21, but ended it on July 24. The tumor found in Chechin's brain needs to be examined and preferably removed, said the surgeon questioned in the case.

The Tbilisi City Court sentenced Anton Chechin to 8.5 years in prison. According to the investigation and the court, Chechin was in possession of drugs on an especially large scale. Chechin did not admit guilt and said that the drugs were planted on him for participating in protests, Paper Kartuli reports.

After the verdict was announced, a scuffle broke out in the corridor of the Tbilisi City Court between bailiffs and the people who had gathered. The bailiffs used force to remove the crowd from the court building, Publika reported.

As a result of the use of force by the bailiffs, there are victims, an ambulance arrived at the Tbilisi City Court building, Tbilisi Life writes.

"Kavkazsky Uzel" also wrote that in December 2024, a court in Tbilisi remanded in custody resuscitation doctor Giorgi Akhobadze, who was detained after a protest and accused of drug possession. Akhobadze refused to admit guilt and stated that the drugs were planted on him by security forces. On August 6, the court found him not guilty and released him from custody.

"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".

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