Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has arrested five current and former law enforcement officers charged with violent attacks against three individuals during anti-government protests in 2024.
The officers are facing charges of “abuse of power with the use of violence,” an offense that carries a potential prison sentence of five to eight years. One of the accused faces an additional charge for unlawfully obstructing a journalist’s professional activities, resulting in serious health consequences or other harm.
The legal proceedings target the assault of politician Levan Khabeishvili, journalist Guram Rogava, and protester Zviad Maisashvili. The arrests followed an investigative report by TV Formula, which utilized sources within the Ministry of Interior to identify an officer allegedly involved in the attack on Rogava on November 29, 2024.
Documented Police Conduct in 2024
The arrests occur against a backdrop of widespread violence documented by Amnesty International and local human rights monitors during protests held between November and December 2024. Reports indicate that Georgian police indiscriminately deployed water cannons, pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets against peaceful demonstrators.
Beyond the use of crowd-control weapons, monitors recorded evidence of severe physical abuse. More than 300 detainees reported being subjected to violence, with over 80 individuals requiring hospitalization for fractures, broken bones, and concussions. Investigators and watchdogs have specifically highlighted the use of police vehicles, referred to as “torture vans,” where detainees were allegedly beaten.
Further reports indicate that numerous detainees were transported to undisclosed locations, where they were denied access to legal counsel and family members. In several instances, victims were reportedly denied emergency surgery and necessary medical treatment while in custody.
Institutional Response and Impunity
Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, stated that the arrest of five officers is an insufficient response to the scale of the crackdown. He noted that these actions come 17 months after the events took place and do not address the systemic nature of the violence.
“These five arrests alone do little to change the broader picture of impunity in Georgia, or the fact that dozens of cases of torture and other ill-treatment remain without effective investigation,” Krivosheev said.
Amnesty International has documented dozens of separate cases involving unlawful force and alleged torture against government critics, journalists, and protesters exercising their rights to assembly and expression.
The organization is now calling on the Prosecutor General’s Office to expand its investigation beyond the five arrested officers. The demand includes a full inquiry into the chain of command to identify those who issued the orders for the crackdown and those who failed to prevent the reported human rights violations.
