Gela Nikolaishvili

Gela Nikolaishvili, a member of the Bar Association of Georgia and a representative of the NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights”, took on the cases, which attracted wide public attention, and defended the rights of people detained in the course of protest actions. In 2015, Mr Nikolaishvili defended the rights of 50 life-term prisoners, who went on a hunger strike in the Gldani Prison in Georgia with a demand of reviewing their cases and making amendments to the amnesty law.

He was nominated for the “Hero of the Caucasus-2015” contest of the “Caucasian Knot” for achieving particular results in helping people.

Activities in 2015

On January 26, 2015, 50 prisoners of Gldani Prison No. 8 in Georgia started their termless hunger strike with a demand to reconsider judgements on their cases and amend the amnesty law. In February 2015, Mr Nikolaishvili, as a representative of the NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights”, met the hunger-strikers in order to monitor their health condition. He supported the demands of hunger-strikers to review their cases and amend the amnesty law.

On March 3, after the officials from the Presidential Administration of Georgia promised to bring the issue of the life-term prisoners for consideration of the Parliament, the protesters in the Gldani Prison stopped their hunger strike.

Also in 2015, Mr Nikolaishvili defended Ayuf Borchashvili, the Imam of the Jokolo village (Pankisi Gorge, Kakheti), who was accused of recruiting people for the ISIL (a terrorist organization banned in Russia by a court).

In December 2015, Gela Nikolaishvili got down to defence of David Borchashvili, another native of the Pankisi Gorge, who was accused of taking part in hostilities on the side of the ISIL (a terrorist organization banned in Russia by a court).

Biography

Gela Nikolaishvili (Nikoleishvili) was born on March 27, 1958, inTbilisi, the Georgian SSR.

He graduated from the Historical Department of the IvaneJavakhishviliTbilisiStateUniversity in 1981.

From 1981 to 1984, he worked as a researcher at the state Museum in Mtskheta, until he was arrested and convicted in the Georgian SSR for his anti-Soviet activities for 1.5 years in prison. He was released in 1985.

In 1992-1995, Mr Nikolaishvili was a member of the Parliament of Georgia, where he headed the sub-committee on political rights at the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights.

In 1995-1999, he studied at the Law Department of the Tbilisi Psycho-Legal Institute.

In 1996, together with other political prisoners, he created the NGO “Former Political Prisoners for Human Rights”.

Since 1999, he is a lawyer of the Bar Association of Georgia.

In 2010-2011, Gela Nikolaishvili several times defended the rights of people detained during protest actions, including refugees and street vendors.