Court accepts UNM leader Melia’s release after EU posts bail
Tbilisi City Court has accepted the release of the head of the United National Movement Nika Melia after the European Union posted Melia’s 40,000 GEL bail on May 8, following the EU-mediated agreement between Georgian political parties in April, Agenda.ge reported.
After the completion of technical issues Melia will leave Rustavi prison where he has been in pretrial custody since February 23, 2021. Melia is charged with incitement to violence during the June protests in Tbilisi back in 2019 which were sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament.
European Endowment for Democracy, on behalf of the EU, posted Melia’s bail, while the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association handed the money to the Georgian government. Posting bail before a court's decision is unusual for the Georgian judiciary, the source added.