The Memorial Human Rights Center has recognized Georgian citizen Irakli Khufeniya as a political prisoner. In June, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found him guilty of publicly justifying terrorism and sentenced him to two years in prison.

According to investigators, in 2024, Khufeniya expressed support for Georgians fighting on the side of the Ukrainian army on social media. Specifically, he published a post with a photograph of a member of the Georgian National Legion, who fought for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Furthermore, investigators allege that the accused made an image of a road sign with a Ukrainian flag and a comment "justifying terrorist activity motivated by political and ideological hatred and enmity"—the inscription in Ukrainian, "Welcome to the Kursk Region."

Irakli Khufeniya was detained in January at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint upon arriving in Russia. A court in Vladikavkaz then sentenced him to two arrests for petty hooliganism. The opposition figure was then charged with inciting terrorism online.

The Georgian citizen was an active participant in protests in his country and a member of the opposition party United National Movement. He published social media posts calling for protests against the current authorities in Tbilisi.

"We believe that a Georgian citizen cannot, in principle, be held criminally liable in Russia for publications he made while in his own country. By law, this is only possible if his actions are directed against Russia's interests—we are convinced that supporting Ukraine does not conflict with these interests," the human rights activists emphasized.