The trial of Tata (Tamar) Peradze, a member of the Coalition for Change, has been postponed, and she has been released from the courtroom, her lawyer, Teona Zakareishvili, announced.

According to Zakareishvili, the detention protocol contained a serious procedural violation — it did not indicate the exact time of Peradze’s detention.

“The main violation was that the detention protocol did not specify the time of detention, which is a serious breach. Later, a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that witnesses would confirm this, which is impossible. For an alleged offense such as blocking a street, the time of detention is crucial, as it determines the duration of imprisonment. Even one extra minute of unlawful detention is a violation,” Zakareishvili said.

She added that there was no evidence showing that Peradze had violated the law or blocked the street.

“It seems the video footage presented was edited, sped up, or filmed from a different angle, while the Ministry of Internal Affairs could easily obtain original recordings from stationary and surveillance cameras, cars, television, or the internet. Judge Koba Chagunava ruled that since the time of detention was not indicated and no evidence was provided, Tamar Peradze should be released. The MIA now has a second opportunity to present evidence, and we will use this time to submit our own,” the lawyer explained.

Tata Peradze was detained earlier today on charges of blocking Rustaveli Avenue during a protest.