The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia says five law enforcement officers have been identified and detained in connection with violence committed against protester Zviad Maisashvili, politician Levan Khabeishvili and journalist Guram Rogava during protests in 2024.
The detainees include three former and one current special forces officer, as well as one current employee of the Security Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Prosecutor General of Georgia Giorgi Gvarakidze said at a briefing that two of the five defendants were already in custody on other criminal and administrative charges, while three were detained today.
Gvarakidze notes that the Investigation Department of the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office has carried out thousands of investigative and procedural actions, including the questioning of more than 550 witnesses.
All five detainees will be charged with violent abuse of official authority under Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The officer detained in the Rogava case will also face charges of unlawfully obstructing a journalist in professional activities through violence under Article 154.
The charges carry a prison sentence of five to eight years.
The Prosecutor says it will request imprisonment as a preventive measure for all five defendants.
The arrests followed a journalistic investigation by TV company ‘Formula,’ in which journalists identified the alleged attacker of their colleague.
Prosecutor General of Georgia says the investigation will continue in coordination with other law enforcement bodies to identify and prosecute those involved in the incidents and other cases of violence during the protests.
