The Tbilisi City Court fully upheld the prosecution’s position and found the minor defendant guilty of giving false testimony in the case involving the murder of Giga Avaliani, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia reports.
Under the final verdict, the minor, whose name has not been disclosed, was sentenced to three years in prison.
The prosecution stated that evidence examined during the trial proved that on March 24, 2026, in the Tbilisi City Court, during the trial on the merits of the case concerning the organization of and participation in group violence linked to the death of Giga Avaliani, the minor, questioned as a witness, gave the court knowingly false testimony in order to obstruct the course of justice.
He was charged under Article 370, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Georgia — obstruction of justice through a witness giving false testimony in court in a case where the defendants are charged with grave and especially grave crimes.
The article carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison.
The Tbilisi City Court found the minor guilty as charged and initially sentenced him to four years in prison.
However, under the Juvenile Justice Code, the sentence was reduced by one-fourth, resulting in a final sentence of three years in prison.
As a reminder, the court previously found minor Demetre Chikovani guilty under two main articles covering five episodes. He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. According to investigators, he was accused of conspiracy to inflict intentional grievous bodily harm committed by a group, as well as organizing and participating in group violence.
Other defendants in the same case, Aleksandre Gabashvili and Giorgi Rikadze, were sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison.
The Tbilisi City Court also found Demetre Chikovani and Ani Naskidashvili guilty in the murder case of teacher Giga Avaliani.
In September 2025, Aleksandre Gabashvili, a defendant in the criminal case, learned from Nia Imnadze that she had started math lessons with Giga Avaliani, who, according to her, was showing her excessive attention.
Aleksandre Gabashvili contacted his friends Giorgi Rikadze and Demetre Chikovani and told them about this, after which they decided as a group to attack Giga Avaliani and cause him serious bodily harm.
To this end, they identified Avaliani, checked his social media, and downloaded his photo to recognize him visually. They also found out his work and home addresses, and studied his work schedule and daily commute.
They selected a location to carry out their plan and began tracking him. On the evening of September 29, 2025, Aleksandre Gabashvili, Giorgi Rikadze, and Demetre Chikovani arrived at the scene of <the crime>.
In Tbilisi, near an educational center located in the Zgvisubani neighborhood (Temka — Ed.), they set up an ambush and prepared all the conditions to attack Giga Avaliani and inflict grievous bodily harm.
Between approximately 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM, they waited for Giga Avaliani to leave the center, but on that day they were unable to carry out their plan for reasons beyond their control.
In accordance with the plan developed by Aleksandre Gabashvili, Giorgi Rikadze, and Demetre Chikovani, in October 2025, Aleksandre Gabashvili and Giorgi Rikadze carried out their intent. Specifically, at around 10:20 PM in Tbilisi, in the Zgvisubani district (11th Micro-district, 3rd Block), near residential building No. 56a, Aleksandre Gabashvili and Giorgi Rikadze attacked Giga Avaliani.
As a result, Giga Avaliani died in a medical facility on October 24, 2025.
