Gela Khasaia, an activist and member of the opposition Girchi – More Freedom party, left prison on September 29, a year after his imprisonment over a controversial incident and months after reaching a plea deal with the prosecutors in May.
Khasaia was arrested on September 29, 2025, in connection with a September 1 incident in which prosecutors alleged that he and another defendant intentionally harmed an individual later identified as Ramaz Chaduneli.
The Interior Ministry initially said the two were detained on charges of “intentional infliction of minor harm to health.” Prosecutors later reclassified the offense as the more serious charge of “intentional infliction of less serious harm to health” under Article 118-2, while also adding a group element. The offense is punishable by four to six years in prison.
Khasaia’s detention drew international outcry, with his lawyers and supporters contesting the allegations, saying it lacked independent evidence linking the defendant to the alleged assault. The defense said prosecutors relied entirely on witness testimony and had presented no video evidence of the incident.
In May, however, Khasaia entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors, admitting guilt as part of a process that his supporters, including Girchi – More Freedom leader Zurab Japaridze, said was necessary to spare him more years in prison.
Khasaia’s decision to enter a plea agreement came amid a broader trend of defendants in trials involving political parties and protesters, many of them widely regarded as politically motivated, accepting such agreements to secure early release.
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