A court hearing is taking place at Tbilisi City Court regarding civil activist Nino Datashvili, who is accused of attacking a bailiff of the same court while the bailiff was performing official duties.

At today’s session, the court will discuss the imposition of a preventive measure against her. The prosecution is requesting the strictest form of preventive measure—detention—arguing that there is a risk of the accused absconding, committing a new crime, or influencing witnesses, as stated in the prosecutor’s motion.

The defense disagreed with the prosecution’s motion. According to the defense lawyer, there is no evidence to support the prosecution’s request for detention. Furthermore, the human rights defender stated that each alleged risk has its own standard, and every request must be backed by solid evidence.

The accused, Nino Datashvili, is attending the hearing. In response to Judge Eka Barbakadze’s question about whether her rights were violated during her detention, Datashvili provided a detailed answer.

She stated that her detention was unlawful, occurring while she was waiting for transport at a bus stop. The detaining police officers were not in uniform, she was tricked into entering a vehicle, her phone was confiscated, and she was not allowed to contact her child.

“I suffered psychological trauma because I couldn’t contact my child, who didn’t have a key,” Datashvili said.

In response, the prosecutor stated that they had no information regarding possible rights violations and that Datashvili had not reported any such issues. The defense lawyer clarified that the accused had not been questioned at all, and the case relies solely on the testimonies of the bailiffs.

Additionally, the case prosecutor explained that notification of the detainee’s family members must occur within three hours of detention, which was adhered to in Datashvili’s case.

Nino Datashvili was detained on June 20 in connection with an incident that occurred at Tbilisi City Court on June 9. She faces charges under Article 353, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to an attack on a public servant during the performance of their official duties. This offense carries a penalty of a fine or imprisonment ranging from 4 to 7 years.