Three defendants currently in custody—Anton Chechin, Artyom Gribul, and Sergei Kukharchuk—have reached a plea agreement in a case involving playing cards in prison. Each is required to pay a fine of 5,000 GEL (Georgian Lari). This was reported to Georgian media by their lawyer, Daria Samodurova.
According to her, all three admit to playing cards within the correctional facility, which is classified as the use of a prohibited item. She noted that they had faced between three and five years of imprisonment for this offense. Consequently, all three agreed to enter into the plea bargain.
“Initially, I was determined to fight; for me, this was a very interesting legal anomaly. However, three to five years in prison is no joke. They admitted that they did indeed play, but it was just a game,” stated Daria Samodurova.
As a reminder, the Prosecutor’s Office brought the new charge of playing cards in prison against Anton Chechin, Artyom Gribul, and Sergei Kukharchuk, who were originally detained during protest actions.
Regarding the other cases against them: Anton Chechin was detained on December 3, 2024. He is charged under Article 260 of the Criminal Code, which involves the acquisition, storage, and carriage of narcotics in an especially large amount; the penalty carries from 8 to 20 years of imprisonment or life.
Artyom Gribul was detained by Central Criminal Police officers along with his wife, Anastasia Zinovkina, on December 17, 2024, in Tbilisi. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, a search of their home and a personal search uncovered 16 grams of the narcotic substance “alpha-PVP.” Anastasia Zinovkina and Artyom Gribul were charged under Article 260 of the Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of 8 to 20 years or life imprisonment. By the decision of Judge Nino Galustashvili, they were each sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.
Sergei Kukharchuk, detained in connection with the protest actions, was sentenced to two years in prison. He is among 11 individuals detained in this case. Initially, they were charged under Part 2 of Article 225 of the Criminal Code (participation in organized group violence), which carries a sentence of 4 to 6 years. However, Judge Galustashvili reclassified the charge to Article 226 of the Criminal Code (active participation in group actions that violated public order).
NGO: Russians Chechin, Zinovkina, and Gribul are victims of Ivanishvili’s politicized justice
