Giorgi Okmelashvili sentenced to five years for assaulting police officer

Judge Giorgi Gelashvili announced the verdict in the case of Giorgi Okmelashvili, who was sentenced to five years in prison for assaulting a police officer during a protest against the draft law on Transparency of Foreign Influence.

According to the investigation, on May 13, during a rally near Parliament, Okmelashvili physically attacked Aleksandre Okhanashvili, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, striking him in the face with his elbow.

Okmelashvili was charged under Part 1 of Article 353 of the Criminal Code, which relates to assaulting a police officer while performing official duties. He also faced charges under Part 1 of Article 260 for the illegal possession of narcotic drugs; however, this charge was fully amnestied, resulting in the termination of the prosecution. The original charge carried a potential sentence of four to seven years in prison.