TBILISI, June 5 – Eight more defendants in Georgia’s October 4 case are set to receive plea agreements, adding to an earlier group of seven defendants expected to be released under similar deals.
The case concerns events near the Atoneli Palace, Georgia’s presidential residence in central Tbilisi, on October 4. Interpressnews reported Friday that the new plea agreements concern another episode in connection with the same protest.
In this episode, 15 people were charged. Eight of them admitted the charges at Friday’s court hearing and accepted the evidence as undisputed. Their cases were separated into a separate proceeding so that plea agreements can be finalized.
Once the court approves the agreements in the coming days, the defendants are expected to be released from the courtroom. Prosecutors are offering them three-year conditional sentences.
Seven other defendants in the same episode are not receiving plea deals at this stage. They told the court they do not admit guilt and said they were defending Georgia’s interests on October 4 and would continue the fight to the end.
Prosecutor Roin Khintibidze said after the hearing that the prosecution is ready to discuss plea agreements with any October 4 defendant who admits guilt.
“The prosecution’s position is this: any person who admits the crime committed and applies to us for a plea agreement, we are ready to discuss concluding a plea agreement with them,” Khintibidze said.
He said no talks are currently being held with the seven defendants who deny guilt. But he added that if they change their position and admit guilt in the two episodes in which they are charged, prosecutors would also be ready to discuss plea agreements with them.
One of the defendants, a 63-year-old man, accepted the plea agreement because the terms allowed for immediate release, his lawyer Giorgi Chochua told Interpressnews. Chochua said the defense could not know what decision the court would make and did not consider it worth taking the risk, especially given his client’s age. He said an earlier proposal involving one year in prison had been rejected, while the current offer, release from the courtroom, was acceptable.
Chochua described the prosecution’s concession as “goodwill” and welcomed it.
The new development follows an earlier announcement on Tuesday that seven other October 4 defendants would also receive plea agreements, which DFWatch reported.
