UNM’s Davit Kirkitadze Released in Plea Deal

Davit Kirkitadze, one of the leaders of the opposition United National Movement party, who was sent to pretrial detention for assaulting a police officer, has been released after the district court in Gurjaani approved a plea bargain deal between him and the prosecution on May 31.

Davit Kirkitadze was among the opposition leaders and activists who planned to hold a demonstration in Telavi on December 16, in parallel to the inauguration ceremony. He was actively involved in attempts to unblock the police cordons in village Velistsikhe, on the way to Telavi; in one of the video footages Kirkitadze was seen trying to force into the police bus.

Kirkitadze was arrested on December 17 on charges of assaulting a police officer, as well as damaging property. On December 20, the Gurjaani district court sentenced him to pretrial custody.

Speaking at a court hearing on May 31, Kirkitadze pleaded guilty and explained that he did not intend to insult anyone.

The court sentenced him to two-year conditional sentence and released him from courtroom.

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