Girchi – More Freedom’s Gela Khasaia to Leave Prison in September After Plea Deal
Opposition Girchi – More Freedom party member Gela Khasaia, who was arrested in September 2025 on charges of assaulting a man in Tbilisi in a widely disputed incident, is expected to leave prison in September after accepting a plea deal at a May 8 court hearing.
A plea agreement was also set for Vasil Kerdikoshvili, who was charged alongside Khasaia in the case. Under the agreement reached with prosecutors, both men confessed to the crime – a precondition for a plea deal – and will serve a total sentence of one year in prison, which will be followed by three years of parole.
“Gela had to make a choice – If he had admitted to hitting someone, he would have received a one-year sentence, which is what happened; if not, he would have been sent to prison for four years,” Zurab Japaridze, leader of the Girchi – More Freedom party, told reporters after the hearing. “My plea to him was not to turn his stubborn character into a weapon in the hands of the regime.”
Khasaia’s lawyer Omar Purtseladze described the decision as “very difficult,” noting that the defense had “destroyed” the alleged victim and his testimonies during the past hearings. The plea deal “was a retreat on the part of the Prosecutor’s Office; this was an agreement to cover up precisely the flaws of the investigation, including the weakness of the victim,” Purtseladze told Publika after the hearing, noting that an alternative to the plea deal would have been “guaranteed” five-year sentence.
Khasaia and Kerdikoshvili were arrested on September 29 in connection with a September 1 incident in which prosecutors alleged they intentionally harmed one individual, later identified as Ramaz Chaduneli. The Interior Ministry initially said the two were detained on charges of “intentional infliction of minor harm to health”. Prosecutors later reclassified it as the heavier charge of “intentional infliction of less serious harm to health” under Article 118-2, also adding a group element, an offense punishable by four to six years in prison.
Purtseladze, Khasaia’s lawyer, had previously argued that the prosecution lacked neutral evidence against his client. According to him, the case was based solely on witness testimony and contained no video evidence.
Ramaz Chaduneli was questioned at the May 4 court hearing. He testified that on the night of September 1, he was walking near Tbilisi’s Deserter’s Market when he encountered two young men, later joined by Khasaia. Chaduneli said the group had been drinking beer before an argument broke out, though he could not recall its cause. He said he broke his hand as well as suffered injuries to his eye and head.
When the prosecutor asked Chaduneli to identify anyone present in the courtroom, he pointed to Kerdikoshvili, according to the Publika outlet, but was reportedly unable to identify Khasaia, stating that the person he remembered was short and had been wearing shorts.
Khasaia previously said that following his detention, he was strip-searched twice in the police department. He also claimed that police officers had previously warned him he would face a criminal case, adding that one officer later reminded him of that “promise” after his arrest. Khasaia’s detention drew international outcry.
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