“I have become a victim of physical and psychological torture,” declared civil activist Nana Sander, convicted in the “October 4 case,” before the Court of Appeals. According to Sander, she is being held in solitary confinement, which has caused her health to deteriorate repeatedly.
Sander asserts that her rights are being grossly violated and that, in addition to physical suffering, she is subjected to psychological pressure.
“For months, I was subjected to psychological and physical torture. I was deprived of oxygen; there was literally no air to breathe. I even wrote that I would not survive seven weeks. Everything I am talking about can be verified from the surveillance cameras to see how long I lay on the floor. I am a victim of physical and psychological torture.
The cell is not ventilated. For months I was subjected to torment, unable to breathe. A doctor came, but what could he do to help? I bought a fan with my own money; I was fainting.
There is no incoming oxygen, and the temperature is high. This is deliberate, inhumane torture. Beyond physical torment, I was subjected to psychological terror.
Not a single tormentor from the penitentiary system has been punished, just as not a single police officer who used violence against me has faced accountability. The monitoring service claimed there were no human rights violations, even though there were. I gave testimony, but not a single state agency took action. The fact that I call the General Inspection [the ministry’s internal oversight department] and they remain idle is a crime. I have recorded every minute, every date, and every person I spoke with. The time will come, and everyone will be held accountable.
I have no faith in any court in this country. I am speaking out so that another authority, such as the Strasbourg Court [European Court of Human Rights], delivers a ruling—so that other people do not have to endure something like this. Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili [of the Tbilisi City Court] listened to the facts regarding the abuse and the violation of my rights, yet her entire reaction amounted to sentencing me, an entirely innocent person, to seven years of imprisonment without any evidence,” Sander stated.
As a reminder, charges were brought against Nana Sander in connection with the events of October 4, 2025, near the presidential residence. On that day, a mass protest took place in Tbilisi, during which a group of demonstrators marched toward the palace on Orbeliani Square and attempted to force their way into the courtyard of the residence.
The case has been classified under Part 1 of Article 225 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (“organization of group violence”), which carries a penalty of six to nine years of imprisonment. In addition, Sander has been charged under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (“calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order or the violent seizure of state power”), which carries a sentence of up to nine years in prison.
