Terrible Judges | Tiflis24

Documentation of controversial rulings by Georgian judges

This list documents decisions made by Georgian judges that have been classified as problematic, politically motivated, or contrary to the rule of law by international organizations, human rights groups, or independent observers in recent years.

The aim is to record which judgments have caused controversy in a time of increasing political repression in Georgia.

Inclusion in this list is not a personal attack, but is based solely on documented cases that are publicly available and supported by reputable sources.

This list is not exhaustive and will be continually updated. It serves as a reminder and transparency—so that it can be understood how individual judgments have contributed to the weakening of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Georgia.

Criteria for inclusion in the list

Public criticism by international organizations
Inclusion occurs when decisions made by judges have been classified as problematic or contrary to the rule of law in official reports by international institutions (e.g. ODIHR/OSCE, Venice Commission, Council of Europe, ECtHR).
Human rights-related judgments
Cases in which independent NGOs (e.g. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Transparency International Georgia) have demonstrably pointed out violations of fundamental rights through specific decisions.
Politically sensitive procedures
Judgments in cases involving opposition figures, journalists or activists that have been criticized in the public and international debate as being politically motivated.
Deviation from recognized standards
Decisions that demonstrably contradicted international standards of fair trial (e.g. Article 6 of the ECHR) or recommendations of the Council of Europe.
Key cases with symbolic character
Inclusion of judges who have made a significant contribution to the debate on the rule of law and abuse of justice through individual documented judgments.
Recurring patterns
Judges who have made rulings in several documented cases that have been described as problematic by independent observers.

Nino Sakhelashvili

Judge at the Batumi City Court

Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder and director of the independent media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was initially arrested under administrative law on January 11, 2025, after participating in a protest in Batumi. Although she was released shortly thereafter, she was arrested again on January 12—this time on criminal charges. According to the indictment, she allegedly slapped a police officer.
On February 12, 2025, Judge Nino Sakhelashvili of the Batumi City Court sentenced Amaglobeli to two years in prison. The judge downgraded the charge from Article 3531 of the Criminal Code ("Assault on a Police Officer," four to seven years in prison) to Article 353, Paragraph 1 ("Resistance, Threat, or Violence Against a Law Enforcement Officer"), which carries a sentence of two to five years in prison. Amaglobeli's lawyers announced an appeal.
Human rights organizations criticize the case as politically motivated. The circumstances of the double arrest and the disproportionate use of pre-trial detention alone raise serious doubts about the legality of the proceedings.

Criticism / Source for the table

Source: Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA), statement of 12 February 2025, gyla.ge
Content: GYLA called on the public prosecutor's office to end the "politically motivated prosecution" against Mzia Amaglobeli. The NGO described her detention as unlawful, criticized serious procedural errors, the unjustified application of the most stringent detention measure, and conflicts of interest within the investigative authorities. GYLA also pointed to abuses during her detention.

Mzia Amaglobeli

Batumi City Court Judge Nino Sakhelashvili sentenced journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, co-founder and director of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, to two years in prison.

The judge downgraded the charge from Article 353¹ of the Criminal Code (“Assault on a police officer”, sentence of 4-7 years) to Article 353 paragraph 1 (“Resistance, threats or violence against a law enforcement officer”), which provides for a penalty of a fine, up to three years of restriction of liberty, or two to five years of imprisonment.

Amaglobeli's lawyers announced an appeal to the Court of Appeal.

The decision was accompanied by protests and shouts of “Slaves!” outside the courthouse.

Amaglobeli was initially arrested under administrative law during a protest in Batumi on January 11 and released again, only to be taken into custody again a few hours later – on January 12 – this time under criminal law for allegedly slapping police officer Irakli Dgebuadze. Legal experts assessed the case as politically motivated and the charges as disproportionate to the circumstances.

Giorgi Arevadze

Judge at the Tbilisi City Court

Archil Museliantsi was arrested in connection with the protests at the end of 2024 and sentenced to four years in prison by the Tbilisi City Court in August 2025. He was charged with damaging a surveillance camera (Article 187.2.a of the Criminal Code). During the preliminary investigation, Museliantsi claimed to have been the victim of violence, threats, and forced confessions. His defense attorney criticized missing and manipulated evidence.
According to the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA), in all protest cases, the courts admitted the evidence presented by the prosecution without exception, while defense requests were almost always rejected. GYLA notes in its monitoring reports that the judges' decisions systematically worked against the activists, indicating a political motivation for the proceedings.

Criticism / Source for the table

Source: Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA), Monitoring Report on Protest Trials, 31.03.2025, gyla.ge
Content: GYLA documents that in the trials of protest participants – including Archil Museliantsi – all the prosecution's evidence was admitted and almost all the defense's motions were rejected. According to GYLA, a systematic pattern emerges whereby the courts consistently hand down decisions against activists, which reinforces the suspicion of politically motivated prosecutions.

Documentation of controversial rulings by Georgian judges

Criteria for inclusion in the list

Nino Sakhelashvili

Mzia Amaglobeli

Giorgi Arevadze

Archil Muselian

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