Opposition MP charged with incitement to violence to wear monitoring bracelet
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Opposition United National Movement party member Nika Melia, who is charged with incitement to violence during the recent Tbilisi protests, will have to wear an electronic bracelet to be monitored, as the Court of Appeals did not change the decision of Tbilisi City Court earlier today and accepted Melia’s release on bail.
Melia was released on 30,000 GEL [$10,000] bail on June 27 and was prohibited from leaving home without previously informing law enforcers, making public statements in public areas and communicating with witnesses.
Wearing the electronic bracelet, which will allow the court monitor how the MP adheres to its decision, was a condition added by the judge of the Court of Appeals today, as demanded by the prosecution.
His release on bail by Tbilisi City Court was appealed by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia last week, which has demanded pre-trial detention for Melia.
Melia is charged with organising violence by a group, heading the group and participation in the violence during the June 20-21 rallies in Tbilisi, Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Melia says that he will inform law enforcers when he leaves home, but said he will come to parliament and continue his activities as he did before.
I will appeal the decision on restrictions to the Constitutional Court as they prevent me from carrying out my MP duties appropriately”, Melia said.
The Georgian parliament suspended Melia’s MP immunity on June 26, allowing his detention if necessary.
Melia and the opposition say that the charge has political grounds.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze placed the responsibility on the opposition regarding the June 20 unrest, which left 305 detained and 240 injured.
He stated that the “destructive and irresponsible” calls and appeals by the opposition transformed “a peaceful and justified” rally in Tbilisi into unrest.
The rally in Tbilisi on June 20 was sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in Georgia and an address of one of them from the seat of the Georgian parliamentary speaker.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office says it will appeal the decision of Tbilisi City Court yesterday to release opposition MP Nika Melia on 30,000 GEL [$10,000]bail, after being charged with incitement to violence on June 20 rally in Tbilisi.
The United National Movement MP Nika Melia, who stands charged with incitement to violence during the June 20 rally in Tbilisi, has been released on 30,000 GEL [$10,000] bail.
The Georgian parliament has voted to suspend MP immunity for United National Movement opposition MP Nika Melia, upholding yesterday's request from the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office yesterday to detain the legislator for possible incitement to violence during the June 20 rally in Tbilisi.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that the “destructive and irresponsible” calls and appeals by the opposition transformed “a peaceful and justified” rally in Tbilisi into unrest on June 20 and the opposition members carry responsibility for that, commenting on recent charges against United National Movement MP Nika Melia.
The Georgian Interior Ministry has addressed Tbilisi City Court to question opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava, Irakli Okruashvili and Giorgi Baramidze concerning their involvement in the June 20 rally in Tbilisi which was forcibly dispersed by police. The ministry says the former officials have refused to come in for interrogation so far, which is why they resorted to asking the court.
Two individuals have been detained for organising, leading and participating in group violence during the June 20 rally, the Georgian Interior Ministry reports. The ministry says the two took part in group violence, attacked police and attempted to storm the parliament building in an organised manner.
A Tbilisi City Court has denied bail to Irakli Okruashvili, the former Georgian Defence Minister under the United National Movement leadership. Okruashvili was detained on July 25 for incitement to violence during the clashes of June 20 in front of the parliament of Georgia. However, he denies the charges against him.
Lawyers of former Defence Minister of Georgia Irakli Okruashvili have appealed the decision of Tbilisi City Court to deny bail to the former official regarding the June 20 unrest in Tbilisi.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has warned the MP of the United National Movement opposition (UNM) Nika Mela about the possible use of ‘tougher pre-trial measures,’ after the legislator violated his bail conditions and left his house without the consent of law enforcement on September 10.
The judge of Tbilisi City Court declined to change any of the preventive measures applied in the case of United National Movement opposition party MP Nika Melia, who stands charged with incitement to violence during June protests in Tbilisi.
Giorgi Javakhishvili and Tornike Datashvili, who were detained and charged after the June 20 rally in central Tbilisi, have been released on 2,000 GEL ($669) bail after confessing to the crime today.
The Georgian parliament's Procedural Issues Committee has approved the suspension of the MP status of United National Movement opposition member Nika Melia following the recent verdict of a court in the high profile Cartu Bank case.
The Georgian parliament has suspended the MP status of United National Movement opposition member Nika Melia following the recent verdict of a court in the high profile Cartu Bank case. 88 MPs in the 150-member parliament voted for the decision which has already come into effect.
The Prosecutor’s Office says that they will appeal the verdict of Tbilisi City Court against former opposition MP Nika Melia in the high-profile Cartu Bank case.
Nika Melia will be the next chair of the United National Movement (UNM) based on the results of the opposition party polls. The UNM launched an online poll on December 21 following Grigol Vashadze’s resignation.
Former opposition MP and the head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia has been arrested by police earlier today for refusal to post bail shortly after the parliament approved Irakli Garibashvili prime minister and his cabinet late yesterday. Melia was arrested in his office in the UNM headquarters in Tbilisi by special unit servicemen. Police allegedly used pepper spray in the room.
The UNM announced it would be taking up its mandates in parliament late yesterday, after a six-month political standoff, saying that the reason they declined to sign the EU-mediated agreement is that ‘it includes several notes which are unacceptable for us.’ The embassies said in a joint statement that the agreement proposed by the European Council President Charles Michel back in April 2021, which was signed by six Georgian political parties and individual MPs, contains topics which are crucial for the country’s further democratic development.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze and the United National Movement (UNM) party leader Nika Melia have clashed near the office of the European Union Delegation to Georgia on Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi earlier today after the ruling party finished its meeting with foreign diplomats. Kobakhidze stated that the main topic of the assembly was the election environment, noting that he cannot discuss the details of the meeting.
The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday ruled legitimate the arrest and detention of opposition leader Nika Melia for incitement to violence during protests in Tbilisi back in June 2019.