A court has found former Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaya guilty of uttering the phrase “Bidzina Ivanishvili and his government must be overthrown” in court.
The ruling was handed down by Tbilisi City Court Judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili, sentencing Akhalaya to two years and six months in prison.
The former official was not present in court for the reading of the verdict and therefore did not exercise his right to a final statement.
The charges against him were linked to a statement he made in court: “I believe that Bidzina Ivanishvili and his government must be overthrown.”
Akhalaya was charged under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which outlaws public calls for the violent change of Georgia’s constitutional order and the overthrow of state power. The article carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.