Andro Chichinadze’s case

28-year-old actor Andro Chichinadze was arrested at his home on December 4 on charges of participating in gang violence at pro-European protests. Prior to that, his home was searched and electronic devices, including Andro Chichinadze’s phone, were sealed.

Andro Chichinadze is a participant in the protests that have been taking place in Tbilisi and the regions of Georgia for more than two months. The public unrest is based on the decision of the Georgian Dream government not to put the issue of opening EU accession negotiations on the agenda until the end of 2028.

On December 4, hours before his arrest, at a pro-European rally on Rustaveli Avenue, Andro Chichinadze told the online publication On.ge:

“I stand with my friends for the European future and I think it is necessary for all sectors to strike today, so that the European future is not threatened… We must do everything possible to disrupt the government, which is absolutely illegitimate, as much as possible and tell it once and for all that we will not tolerate their policies.”

In addition to the political context, his popularity may be a factor. The young film and theater actor is well known to the audience.

Andro’s case is the first in this report “The Regime’s Political Prisoners in Georgia.” The Georgian Democratic Initiative (GDI) has legally examined the Chichinadze case and concluded:

“In the case of Andro Chichinadze’s accusation, not only is there no evidence that his actions caused minor harm to anyone’s health, but there is no victim at all in the case – the Prosecutor’s Office does not have a victim in the case due to Andro Chichinadze’s actions, because such a person does not exist in nature.

Accordingly, it is obvious that the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia is using criminal prosecution in this case, on the one hand, to damage the image of the protest rallies, since it presents them as violent, and on the other hand, by repressing and arresting Andro Chichinadze and other individuals, they are using them as an instrument of terror and intimidation of the public.

Based on the above, Andro Chichinadze was sentenced to criminal pre-trial detention in this case for a purely political purpose and motive, so that his actions have no connection with any kind of crime,” – the organization “Georgian Democratic Initiative.”

The report also presents the details of Andro Chichinadze’s case. According to the organization, for the correct qualification of a crime, there must first be an organizer, a violent group organized by him, and then a specific person must be involved and participate in the actions of the organized violent group with prior intent.

“The case materials of the persons detained by the Prosecutor’s Office on the basis of Article 225 of the Criminal Code do not contain a single piece of evidence that would confirm the organization of a violent group by the accused, the acquaintance of the accused, mutual agreement or the formation of an organized structure in any other form and participation in it. The Prosecutor’s Office accuses the detained individuals of committing isolated acts on different days and in different places in November and December 2024, which, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, constitute the elements of Article 225. However, as already noted, the act envisaged by Part 1 of Article 225 of the Criminal Code must include the creation/organization of a violent group. Thus, in the present case, there is not only a set of evidence confirming the crime envisaged by Part 1 of Article 225, but also any kind of evidence, therefore, there cannot be a crime envisaged by Part 2 of Article 225 either” (GDI).

On January 16, the detainee Andro Chichinadze was visited by high-ranking officials of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

After the meeting, Chichinadze’s lawyer, Tornike Migineishvili, spoke to the media and noted that the delegation members heard the details of the case, as well as the general picture of the ongoing protests in the country. They spoke specifically about Andro’s detention, as well as about other illegal prisoners.

“Andro talked about himself and then answered the representatives’ questions. The questions were such that I felt that these people correctly assessed the processes taking place in Georgia and the difficult picture we have today,” said Tornike Migineishvili.

On January 23, Chichinadze’s words were heard from the stage of the New Theater. A letter he sent from prison was read from the stage.

“To be honest, I don’t even know where to start. How to express my gratitude for what you are doing. I’m trying very hard not to be pathetic, but the context has betrayed me and I think I’ll have to do a little. When I say you, I mean each of you personally and specifically. Acquaintances and strangers. You are people who have taken a conscious responsibility, first of all, for yourself and are doing everything possible to ensure that each person lives in a dignified environment, where all people are equal, protected and in solidarity.

I am proud of each of you. Through your actions, I believe that no matter where you are and where you end up, you can be happy everywhere. Any negative can be translated into positive and love. Perhaps the purpose of our life is to save the person in the person. Both in ourselves and in others. “Perhaps this is freedom, and thank you very much for this freedom. I miss you,” writes actor Andro Chichinadze from prison.

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