Tbilisi City Court has sentenced a 19-year-old student, Saba Jikia, to four years and six months in prison for assaulting a law enforcement officer. Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili announced the ruling.

Saba Jikia addressed those gathered in the courtroom, saying, “Inner fear still bothers me because I am afraid of defeat, and I don’t want future generations to condemn us for failure. I am ready, I am brave, and I don’t like seeing tears in your eyes – smile with me.”

Friends and activists present in the courtroom responded to the judge’s decision with loud protests.

Jikia was arrested on 5 December 2024 on charges of assaulting a police officer. The prosecution accuses him of kicking a police officer during a protest on Rustaveli Avenue on 30 November 2024. Jikia denies the charges against him.