Tbilisi City Court fined Gigi Ugulava, the United National Movement (UNM) party member, by GEL 5,000 under the rule of administrative law violations. Judge Zviad Tsekvava announced the decision.

Gigi Ugulava was charged with blocking the road during the protest at Rustaveli Avenue on January 17.

According to his lawyer Irakli Abesadze, the UNM member did not intend to pay the fine but would complain against the decision in the high instance court.

“We witnessed judicial absurd. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) does not know how many people participated in the rally, it neither knows how many people can fit on the territory in front of the parliament building and is not aware when the law-breaker arrived at the protest. The MIA has no information when and if the accused blocked the road,” said Irakli Abesadze.

Irakli Abesadze assessed the court hearing as a “political-repression process” executed by sanctioned judge Zviad Tsekvava, who serves as a ring in a chain in the fulfilment of Ivanishvili’s strongest desire to “somehow suppress the protests at the expense of crimes and all forms of violence.”

Gigi Ugulava did not attend the court decision’s announcement.