Georgian Opposition Leader Nika Melia Gets 1.5 Years for Courtroom Incident

Nika Melia

Nika Melia, a Georgian opposition leader and co-chair of the Axali party, received a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison for disrespecting a judge. The Tbilisi City Court gave the verdict on November 26.

What Happened

The sentence is tied to an incident on May 30. During a court session, Melia threw water at Judge Irakli Shvangiradze. He was charged with insulting a judge, which carries a maximum sentence of two years.

Melia defended his actions, saying that throwing the water was the least I could do to defend my honor and respond to dishonor. He was angry about the judge's lack of concern and saw it as a protest against the legal system itself.

Melia said the judge didn't care about the details of his detention the day before. He claims he was abducted and forced into the court building against his will. Melia called the judge part of a criminal chain and a symbol of the political regime he opposes, stating he did not regret what he did.

Melia's History of Legal Issues

Melia has been dealing with legal problems for a while. On May 29, the day he was detained before the water incident, his freedom related to a previous case had ended. After the water incident on May 30, the judge changed Melia's bail to imprisonment.

Melia was already serving an 8-month sentence and could not hold public office for two years. This was because he refused to follow the demands of a parliamentary committee about his absence, which was linked to a 2019 case where he was charged with organizing violence during protests.

Earlier in 2021, police raided the United National Movement (UNM) party headquarters on February 23 to arrest Melia after he refused to pay increased bail related to the 2019 case. The arrest, which involved pepper spray, was criticized and led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

Melia is one of several Georgian opposition figures, including Nika Gvaramia, Zurab Japaridze, and Giorgi Vashadze, who have faced legal actions, convictions, or detentions. These are often linked to boycotting the ruling Georgian Dream party’s parliamentary committee or other acts of political protest.