The convicts, including actors Andro Chichinadze, Onise Tskhadze, and nine others, were found guilty by the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower court’s sentence of two years’ imprisonment.
According to the ruling by Tbilisi Court of Appeals Judge Tea Leonidze, the 11 defendants were acquitted of participating in group violence; however, as in the ruling by the first-instance judge Nino Galustashvili, they were found guilty of group action. Consequently, Judge Leonidze denied the appeals of both the prosecution and the defense.
The prosecution had sought to have the convicts found guilty of participating in group violence, while the defense sought an acquittal.
The convicts are currently serving their two-year sentences in a correctional facility and are scheduled for release in eight months.
The 11 individuals were detained for active participation in group actions that disturbed public order during protest rallies. According to the prosecution, the investigation established that the defendants organized and participated in group violence, which resulted in injuries to numerous people. Property belonging to both individuals and legal entities was damaged, as was infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the Tbilisi City Hall.
Imprisoned actor Andro Chichinadze has left the Vaso Abashidze State Music and Drama Theatre
