TBILISI, DFWatch–One of the defendants in a trial of alleged group violence during recent protests has challenged the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence, questioning the authenticity of a video recording purportedly capturing his voice.
During a court hearing, Vepkhia Kasradze questioned why no forensic analysis had been conducted to verify the authenticity of the audio. He insisted the recording was fake and asked whether the investigator’s failure to order an expert examination constituted professional negligence. The investigator did not respond.
Kasradze, who acknowledges appearing in the video but denies speaking, argued that a proper voice analysis would have clarified the matter. He appealed to the judge to consider the absence of expert verification and also sought, unsuccessfully, to recite a poem in court to “ease the tension.”
Defense attorneys also raised concerns about political bias, noting that the testifying investigator is the son of a local ruling party official. The court dismissed the relevance of this connection.
Controversy deepened as the prosecution introduced a 14-minute video stored on a USB drive by lead investigator Arsen Gunashvili, who said he had downloaded it from Facebook. The defense strongly objected, arguing the video had not been previously submitted as formal evidence, had not undergone forensic authentication, and lacked a verified chain of custody. While the judge ruled that the video could be shown during the hearing, it would not be officially added to the case file, leading to accusations from defense lawyers that the prosecution was attempting to “smuggle in falsified evidence” through procedural loopholes.
The episode further fueled defense concerns over the integrity of the proceedings. Attorney Shota Tutberidze argued that allowing such material into the courtroom without proper vetting risked retroactively legitimizing a case that he described as “hastily assembled.” The judge’s decision, he said, called into question the neutrality of the court.
In total, eight individuals are on trial. Three face charges of organizing and leading group violence and risk six to nine years in prison. Five others are charged with participation and face four to six years.
The case follows a controversial protest in March 2024, during mass demonstrations against a proposed ‘foreign agents’ law that critics said would restrict civil society and media organizations.
Transparency International Georgia, an NGO critical of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, has described the case as politically motivated. The organization argues the evidence is insufficient and the charges are disproportionate.
