A 19-year-old Georgian student, Saba Jikia, has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for assaulting a police officer during protests in December 2024. The demonstrations were sparked by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s announcement that it was suspending efforts toward European Union integration. Jikia was convicted of kicking a Special Task Department officer during one of the rallies. The officer did not sustain any injuries.
The case has attracted public attention not only due to the sentence’s severity, but also because the state prosecutor in charge, Tamari Iakobidze, was reportedly vacationing in Spain at the time of the verdict. Her absence from the courtroom has raised concerns among civil society groups and opposition figures, who view it as emblematic of growing detachment among officials overseeing politically sensitive trials.
Critics argue that the optics of such cases, paired with the government’s retreat from EU integration, risk undermining public trust in the justice system. The incident has also prompted renewed debate over the freedom of movement of Georgian officials within the EU amid domestic political tensions.