TBILISI, June 26 – Family members, colleagues and supporters gathered outside Gldani prison in Tbilisi on Friday in solidarity with doctor Giorgi Chakhunashvili, who has been sentenced to five years in prison over the October 4 events near the Atoneli presidential palace.
Chakhunashvili was convicted in connection with the unrest that took place near the presidential residence on October 4. He was arrested in the courtroom after the verdict.
The court also found six other people guilty in the same case: Ia Darakhvelidze, Davit Zhghenti, Konstantine Kokaia, Kakhaber Mzhavanadze, Zakro Albutashvili and Davit Sturua. All seven were sentenced to five years in prison.
Friday’s rally brought together people who described Chakhunashvili as an academic and a respected doctor. Participants said pressure on doctors would eventually harm society as a whole.
They argued that a doctor who does not accept injustice should be seen as an example, not placed in prison.
“I could not even imagine in my dreams that such a noble and talented person would be put in prison,” one participant said. “Solidarity with him and all political prisoners.”
Those gathered outside the prison said they would continue the struggle until victory.
The case is part of the broader legal aftermath of the October 4 events, which remain one of the most sensitive issues in Georgia’s confrontation between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition.
Opposition groups have repeatedly demanded the release of people detained in protest-related cases, describing many of them as political prisoners. The government and prosecution have treated the cases as standard criminal cases.
