Georgian Prosecutors Charge Five Over October 4 Protest 

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has brought charges against five over the October 4 protests, reports Orda.kz, citing 1tv.ge.

Murtaz Zodelava, Paata Burchuladze, and Irakli Nadiradze are charged under three articles at once: Article 222 (attempted group seizure or blocking of strategic facilities or objects of special importance), Article 225 (organizing group violence, leading it, or participating in it), and Article 317 (calls for violent change of the constitutional order or overthrow of state power in Georgia).

Lasha Beridze is charged under two articles, 222 and 225 — also up to 9 years in prison.

Paata Manjgaladze is charged under Article 225 — up to 9 years in prison. 

The Prosecutor’s Office said that on October 4, at Freedom Square, Paata Burchuladze presented an action plan “according to which participants of group violence were to immediately detain certain representatives of the authorities and apply various unlawful measures against persons unwanted by them."

They also claim that Murtaz Zodelava “called on participants of the action to head in a column to the building of the Administration of the President of Georgia, which is a strategic facility, and seize it by force.