Tennis star Nikoloz Basilashvili acquitted of domestic violence charges
By George Ramsay, CNN
(CNN) — Georgian professional tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili has been acquitted of domestic violence charges against his ex-wife, the Tbilisi City Court said in a statement.
Basilashvili was charged with violence against Neli Dorokashvili in May 2020 but, following the conclusion of a trial two years later, the court announced in October 2022 that the victim’s testimony “did not create a set of evidence sufficient for the standard of a guilty verdict.”
The court also said that Dorokashvili’s claims of “economic violence and harassment … on the grounds of gender discrimination” and two episodes of alleged physical violence in 2018 and 2019 were not upheld.
“In accordance with the concept of presumption of innocence, the court decided beyond any reasonable doubt in favor of the accused,” the statement added.
The 32-year-old Basilashvili had denied all the allegations against him and told CNN that he is “happy everything is over and (he) can go back to (his) normal life.”
After the trial, Dorokashvili criticized the judicial system in Georgia, posting on Instagram that the country is “killing women.”
She added, “If Neka Dorokashvili did not win the criminal dispute full of direct and indirect evidence, then what should other women victims of violence hope for?! I will definitely fight to the end and get justice for myself, for all my supporters and for all abused women and yes for all women who are still being abused!!!”
Dorokashvili’s lawyer, Ana Abashidze, previously told CNN before the trial that her client had been “morally judged by the Georgian community,” adding that “the media covered the issue unfairly and the vast majority of the population of Georgia supported Basilashvili” based on his gender and reputation as a professional tennis player.
Basilashvili has been ranked as high as No. 16 in the world and has won five ATP Tour titles during his career, most recently at the 2021 BMW Open in Munich, Germany.
The-CNN-Wire
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