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Politics

A Tbilisi appeal court swaps a 5-year sentence in the '4 October' case for 1 year and a plea; Kobakhidze says repentance is the price of release

The Tbilisi Court of Appeal on Friday approved a procedural agreement between prosecutors and Nikoloz Gventsadze, a marketing specialist and former lecturer at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs who was convicted in May of attempting to seize a strategic facility and of group violence during the 4 October 2025 attempt to storm the presidential palace: his 5-year sentence becomes 1 year in prison and 3 suspended, and he leaves prison in early October, NewsGeorgia reported. The same afternoon Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists in Batumi that Georgia has no prisoners of conscience and that the state is ready to forgive "each of them, if there is repentance and admission on their part".

By CAW Staff18 September 2026
A Tbilisi appeal court swaps a 5-year sentence in the '4 October' case for 1 year and a plea; Kobakhidze says repentance is the price of release

Gventsadze was charged, with Tornike Mchedlishvili and Irakli Chkhvirkia, under article 19-222 part 2 sub-point a of the Criminal Code, an attempt by a group to seize and block objects of strategic and special importance, and under article 225, on group violence, and Tbilisi City Court sentenced the 3 on 7 May, JAMnews reported at the time. JAMnews printed part 1 of article 225 for them; NewsGeorgia describes his count on Friday as participation in group violence. Each got 5 years. Five others, Murtaz Zodelava, Paata Burchuladze, Irakli Nadiradze, Lasha Beridze and Paata Manjgaladze, got 7 years, Sova's table shows.

The prosecution's video, described by Sova when the appeal court opened the case on Monday, shows Gventsadze near the presidential administration rocking the metal barriers with others and not entering the yard. Prosecutor Vazha Todua stated the deal's terms that day: one year of actual imprisonment and three suspended. With the time already served, the year runs out in about 2 weeks, NewsGeorgia writes; Sova gave 7 October as the release date.

Sixty-five people were prosecuted over 4 October, NewsGeorgia writes, politicians, activists and the rally's organisers among them, and 34 of them, Gventsadze included, admitted guilt and took a deal. Sova's count on Monday was 64 charged, 22 freed through agreements, 12 due out after a year and 15 sentenced to prison. His position is the deal. NewsGeorgia describes such agreements as an admission of guilt in return for a lighter sentence or release.

Kobakhidze's Batumi lines set the terms for the rest. "'Prisoners of conscience' do not exist. There are prisoners who were involved in violence," he said. "We are ready to forgive each of them, if there is repentance and admission on their part." He named no one. Whoever repents and admits the crime, he said, will have the appropriate measures taken in respect of them.

Each got 5 years.

Three other cases moved this month. Grigol Liluashvili, the former security chief, got 13 years for bribes on Wednesday; Giorgi Baramidze was remanded on treason and sabotage charges last week; Irakli Garibashvili's preliminary hearing on article 338 is set for 19 October. In the 4 October file the movement is the other way, from sentence to deal: 34 admissions so far, on NewsGeorgia's count.

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