TBILISI, August 15 – A Tbilisi court has acquitted Tedo Abramov, 22, of serious drug charges in a case the opposition claims was linked to his political activity.
Arrested last December, Abramov was accused of carrying more than four grams of MDMA, an offense that can mean up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors said forensic tests found his biological traces on the packaging and argued he resisted police during the search, preventing them from filming it. They later claimed an attempt to record the search was cut short due to a “memory overload” on the camera.
The defense countered that the drugs were planted because of his activism, noting the absence of video or neutral witnesses, and presenting an independent expert report that, they said, indicated he had not used narcotics. The judge agreed the evidence was too weak to convict, pointing to gaps in the chain of proof and unanswered questions about the search procedure.
Abramov walked free from the courtroom, thanking those who supported him. This is the second case this month of an opposition activist being acquitted of drug charges that the opposition claims are political persecution, following Giorgi Akhobadze.
See also our Opinion Desk comment: Why are Georgian activist trials ending in acquittals?
