“In November and December 2024, society clearly witnessed an organised attempt to overthrow the state government, involving several political parties and non-governmental organisations,” stated Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

According to Darakhvelidze, the state employed all lawful means to prevent the coup attempt.

“Some politicians have been charged in connection with this specific attempt. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is not investigating individual personnel cases. Currently, the Prosecutor General’s Office is handling these investigations. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to disclose any details at this stage. The Ministry of Internal Affairs successfully prevented a well-organised coup. There was a substantial attack on police forces, the Georgian Parliament was set ablaze, and officers were injured. The Ministry responded with appropriate measures to prevent such violence. No one can claim that this action was peaceful.

We presented the video footage of the incident to the representatives of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, who were present at the Ministry, and they acknowledged that the actions were violent. This recording is available at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. When a demonstration turns violent, and state institutions are attacked, indeed, the Parliament building was set on fire by the demonstrators, the police used proportionate force and means authorised by the Law on Police, which they not only had the right to employ but also a duty to do so. In specific cases, if misconduct by officers is identified, the Ministry does not have the authority to investigate; this matter is under the purview of the Prosecutor General’s Office,” Darakhvelidze emphasised.