KHAKHISHVILI v. GEORGIA

Published on 28 April 2025 FOURTH SECTIONApplication no. 234/25Giorgi KHAKHISHVILIagainst Georgialodged on 29 November 2024communicated on 8 April 2025SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASEThe application concerns, under Article 11 of the Convention, the applicant’s criminal conviction for organising a protest with fellow villagers in Shukruti (a village in western Georgia) against allegedly environmentally harmful mining activities conducted by a private company (“the company”). Following a criminal complaint by the company, the applicant faced proceedings that led to his conviction by the Kutaisi Court of Appeals on 14 December 2023 under Article 226 of the Criminal Code (organised blockade) for picketing the company’s mining facilities and obstructing its other properties. He was fined 1,000 Georgian Lari (approximately 330 euros). The conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court in a final decisio …