Professor Chakhunashvili was released in Tbilisi after posting bail

Giorgi Chakhunashvili, who was one of 46 people detained in connection with the Tbilisi riots, was released from custody after paying bail.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," by October 10, the number of people detained in connection with the violence at the Tbilisi protest had risen to 46. Among those detained was 71-year-old professor, academician, and pediatrician Giorgi Chakhunashvili. On October 10, Judge Valerian Bugianishvili, at the request of the prosecutor's office, agreed to release Chakhunashvili on bail of 20,000 lari (approximately $7,300).

Georgy Chakhunashvili left the temporary detention facility after posting bail, Interpressnews reported today.

The prosecutor's office requested that the court grant Chakhunashvili bail as a preventive measure. The state prosecutor explained that Giorgi Chakhunashvili's profession, age, and health should be taken into account.

The defense, in turn, claimed there was no actual evidence of Chakhunashvili's guilt. The lawyer disagreed with the prosecutor's motion for a preventive measure and offered the judge a personal surety. According to the defense, four people were willing to act as sureties for Georgiy Chakhunashvili: his son, physician Konstantin Chakhunashvili; Malkhaz Gomelauri; physician Vazha Gaprindashvili; and Tamila Lapanashvili.

Georgy Chakhunashvili himself exercised his right to speak and told the court that he does not consider himself guilty of the charges brought against him, the publication writes.

I didn't commit a crime, I was just doing my medical duties.

As a reminder, Chakhunashvili previously explained that he was at the protest site as a doctor. "Was I there? Yes, I was there. What was I doing? I didn't commit a crime; I was simply fulfilling my medical duties. From the beginning of the protest until its end, I provided first aid, and if the same situation were to happen today, I would do the same. I support European standards and was at the protest, but I reiterate that I did not participate in any criminal activity," the Tbilisi Life Telegram channel quoted Chakhunashvili as saying.

On October 4, the day of municipal elections, thousands of people gathered in central Tbilisi. After opera singer Paata Burchaladze declared that power in Georgia belongs to the people, clashes broke out between protesters and security forces near the presidential palace. Security forces used riot gear, while protesters used firecrackers. Six demonstrators and 21 security forces were hospitalized, and another 30 people received medical treatment on the spot. Police  opened a criminal investigation into calls to overthrow the government, attacks on police officers, and the storming of the palace.

Among those detained were five protest leaders. They were opera singer Paata Burchuladze (who was escorted by security forces from a clinic where he was taken by ambulance after the rally), Paata Manjgaladze, Secretary General of the Strategy Agmashenebeli party, Colonel Lasha Beridze, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, and United National Movement activists Murtaz Zodelava and Irakli Nadiradze. They were arrested on charges of organizing group violence, calling for the overthrow of the government, and attempting to seize the presidential palace. They face up to nine years in prison; all five have denied their guilt .

The attempt to seize the presidential palace was doomed to failure and gave the current government a new opportunity to exert pressure on the opposition. Analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated that a peaceful change of power remains only if the opposition overcomes its disunity.

On October 4, municipal elections were held in all municipalities of Georgia. Candidates from the ruling Georgian Dream party were elected mayors in all 64 cities where elections were held, receiving 100% of the vote in 26 of them. These elections will determine the political balance in Georgia for the coming years. The next major elections in the country are scheduled for 2028, making this vote crucial for both the government and the opposition, according to the Caucasian Knot report " Municipal Elections in Georgia, October 4, 2025. "

The "Caucasian Knot" is publishing materials about the recent municipal elections and protests by opposition supporters on its thematic page, " Georgia: Elections amid Protests ."

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416225