Former defence minister sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in the case of calls for violent overthrow of constitutional order, government

Former defence minister Bacho Akhalaia was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in the case involving calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and the government.

The Judge of the Tbilisi City Court, Romeo Tkeshelashvili, announced the decision. Akhalaia did not attend the announcement of the verdict. He pleads innocent in the case.

Bacho Akhalaia was charged under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which entails incitement to overthrow the government and to change Georgia’s constitutional order through violence. The crime envisages up to 3 years imprisonment as a punishment measure.