“I would like to remind both prosecutors and judges that not a single inch of this country’s land can be considered lost, and even talking about it is damaging and dangerous to national interests,” Berdia Sichinava, the lawyer for Giorgi Gakharia, told journalists after the trial.

Sichinava said the judge’s ruling represents “continuous and irreversible damage” to the country.

“The judge took a step against the national interests of Georgia. Of course, we expected imprisonment to be used. This is one system, two parts of one bolt, which makes decisions in justice. This is a case permeated with political elements from beginning to end. There is no discussion of legal process, arguments, or evidence,” Sichinava stated.

He argued that the case is not truly against Gakharia, but rather against the Georgian state itself, warning that the ruling could be used as a precedent by the de facto Tskhinvali regime.

“They are accusing Georgia, not Giorgi Gakharia. This case will be a precedent that the Tskhinvali puppet regime will use. This is a violation of Georgia’s national interests,” he said.

Sichinava also questioned the justification for pretrial detention, noting that Gakharia had never been summoned for questioning by the Prosecutor’s Office and had previously appeared voluntarily before parliamentary commissions regarding the June 20–21, 2019 events.

The lawyer emphasized that “not a single inch of Georgia’s land can be considered lost”, stressing that even discussing such notions harms national interests.

“I would like to remind both prosecutors and judges that not a single inch of this country’s land can be considered lost. Even talking about this is damaging and dangerous to national interests,” Sichinava said.

Earlier, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Giorgi Gakharia, chairman of the For Georgia party, to imprisonment in absentia in the Chorchani case, following a motion by the Prosecutor’s Office.