As the Rule of Law Center reports Georgia has hit the lowest in disciplining law enforcement officers in the last decade. The center accuses the state of growing leniency toward police misconduct and tolerating a repressive policy against protestors.
“In 2024, the rate of disciplinary punishment of police officers reached a historic low in the past 10 years,” the report states, warning that crimes committed by law enforcement are met with ‘zero response’ from the state.
The findings were presented during a public event attended by diplomats, NGO representatives, lawyers, and politicians. The presentation was led by Keti Khutsishvili, director of the Civil Society Foundation, and Londa Toloraia, head of the Rule of Law Center.
The report links the alleged impunity to wider political processes, claiming that the trend has worsened since the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process. It describes ‘coordinated and systemic’ crimes by law enforcement officers, including torture, ill-treatment, and disproportionate force against rally participants and journalists.
“The state did not conduct an effective investigation either against rank-and-file law enforcement officers or their superiors. Not a single law enforcement officer was punished,” it reads.
Moreover, the report claims law enforcement agencies have become politicized, acting ‘as unconditional enforcers’ of the ruling party’s will. While officers avoid prosecution, protestors face harsh criminal and administrative charges ‘conducted with substantial violations of the law.’
The Rule of Law Center’s findings raise serious concerns about institutional accountability and democratic state of Georgia.
