URGENT ACTION

ACTOR PROTESTER JAILED, DENIED JUSTICE 
Georgian actor Andro Chichinadze was detained in December 2024 during pro-European protests. He is accused of throwing an “object” towards police, and charged with “group violence”, alongside 10 other detained protesters. His, and his co-defenders’ remand hearings and the subsequent trial have been marred by numerous fair trial violations, and the charges against them appear politically motivated. Andro Chichinadze and his co-defendants detention must be reviewed and they must be ensured a fair trial or immediately released.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Giorgi Gvarakidze
Prosecutor General of Georgia 
24 Gorgasali Street, 0134 Tbilisi, Georgia 
Email: mla@pog.gov.ge  

Dear Prosecutor General,
I am concerned about the abuse of the criminal justice system in the “group violence” case against Georgian actor Andro Chichinadze, and 10 other protesters, all of them in detention since their arrest during the pro-European protests in Tbilisi in December 2024 and standing trial at present. Andro Chichinadze did not receive a fair remand hearing, nor did the others, without due consideration of their arguments against detention, before denying them bail. Andro Chichinadze and his co-defendants stand accused of “group violence.” Yet, nothing links them together as a group, there is no evidence of organized or coordinated violence at the time of their arrest (rather, separate incidents provoked by the police’s use of unlawful force), and the prosecution has failed to establish key elements of this crime as defined by Article 225 of Georgia’s Criminal Code. The main evidence against Andro Chichinadze is video footage which appears to show him throwing a stick during a protest. The police have failed to demonstrate where the object landed and what harm, if any, it caused. The same video, and several others verified by Amnesty International, appear to show the police verbally abusing the protesters. 
Andro Chichinadze’s ongoing hearing has been marred by serious fair trial violations, including imposing a state-appointed counsels without his consent, denying defence sufficient time to prepare, and arbitrarily removing some of his co-defendants from the courtroom during the hearing. His co-defendants suffered the same fair trial violations. The court accepted unquestioningly police officers’ testimonies, including of an officer who mistakenly identified a co-defendant, who was not even present in the courtroom at the time, as one of the offenders. Meanwhile senior officials publicly described Andro Chichinadze and others as criminals, in violation of their presumption of innocence. At the same time, the court failed to investigate credible allegations of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment raised by some co-defendants. In the context of the ongoing, brutal government crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Georgia, including widespread use of unlawful force by police, arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, and unfair trial, the detention and trial of Andro Chichinadze and his ten co-defendants, appear intended to create a chilling effect on all protesters. 
I therefore urge you to take immediate action to review the legality of Andro Chichinadze’s detention together with 10 co-defendants, and ensure their fair retrial or release them immediately.

I also demand a prompt and effective investigation into all reported violations of protesters’ human rights by police, including the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment. I also demand an immediate end to the misuse of Georgia’s criminal system to discourage and suppress peaceful protest and other dissent. 

Yours sincerely

Additional information
Actor Andro Chichinadze is a well-known public figure in Georgia, an outspoken government critic and participant in pro-European protests in November-December 2024. One of his co-defenders, comedian Onise Tskhadadze, is also a public figure. In addition to the human rights violations, including fair trial breaches suffered by all 11 co-defendants, Andro Chichinadze and Onise Tskhadadze appear to have been singled out for public attacks by government officials, seemingly because of their visibility as protest figures to create a chilling effect.
The prosecution has charged the 11 co-defendants with “group violence” targeting the police, a “grave crime” under Article 225 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, punishable by up to 10 years (for “organizers”, up to eight for “participants”). However, it has failed to prove that the actions of which they stand accused (throwing “objects” towards the police) were premeditated, coordinated, or connected to a larger plan – key elements of the legal definition of this crime. There is no evidence that the relevant actions have caused any harm or damage. Moreover, during the trial the prosecution’s witnesses, including police officers who claimed to have been the victims of “group violence”, were not able to identify Andro Chichinadze, nor Onise Tskhadadze, in their testimonies as the individuals who had committed any violent acts against them. The other nine co-defendants are: Jano Archaia, Ruslan Sivakov, Luka Jabua, Guram Mirtskhulava, Valeri Tetrashvili, Giorgi Terishvili, Irakli Kerashvili, Revaz Kinadze, and Sergei Kukarchuk.
Protests have been widespread in Georgia for over a year, against the Transparency of Foreign Influence Bill in April and May 2024, the disputed election results in October same year, and the suspension of the EU accession process in November-December 2024. Police used unlawful force to disperse overwhelmingly peaceful protesters, including arbitrary arrests, beatings and other ill-treatment, resulting in injuries and the arbitrary detention of hundreds of protesters. Police also pursued protesters outside of demonstrations, conducting searches and arrests in their homes and offices. During the November-December protests alone, some 500 protesters were reportedly detained. Amnesty International has documented widespread use of torture and other ill-treatment of detained protesters, misuse of criminal justice to target political opposition and other dissent, and the use of gendered reprisals, including violence, against women protesters in Georgia. 
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Georgian, English 
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 21 February 2026
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: Andro Chichinadze (he/him)

Additional targets

Mr George Saganelidze
Minister Plenipotentiary and Chargé d’Affaires
Embassy of Georgia
20 St George’s Square, SW1V 2HP
020 7348 1941
Fax 020 7603 6682
Email: london.emb@mfa.gov.ge
www.uk.mfa.gov.ge
Salutation: Your Excellency 

Public Defender Office: 
Levan Ioseliani 
6 Irakli Paghava st, Avlabari. Postal Code 0144 
Twitter: https://x.com/Ombudsman_Geo 
Email: info@ombudsman.ge