MELIA v. GEORGIA

Published on 10 May 2021 FIFTH SECTIONApplication no. 13668/21Nikanor MELIAagainst Georgialodged on 1 March 2021communicated on 21 April 2021SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASEThe application concerns the alleged unlawful detention of the applicant, a leader of a major opposition political party in Georgia.On 23 June 2019 criminal proceedings were initiated against the applicant, a member of the Parliament of Georgia at the material time, under Article 225 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (organisation, planning or participation in group violence). On 26 June 2019 the Parliament, acting at the request of the Chief Prosecutor, lifted the applicant’s parliamentary immunity. The next day the Tbilisi City Court, while rejecting a prosecution application to remand the applicant in custody, ordered his release on bail for the amount of 30,000 Georgian laris (“GEL”) on the condition, among others, that h …