Deputy Interior Minister: Vika Pilfani spread false information, there is attempt to create impression that situation in country is out of control

An opposition party representative deliberately misled the public, and the figures she cited were manipulative and inaccurate, Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said.

Darakhvelidze was responding to a statement by Vika Filfan, a member of the Gakharia for Georgia party, who claimed that 532 cases of intentional murder were registered in Georgia in the first quarter of 2026.

“The public heard from the parliamentary rostrum that 532 cases of intentional murder were recorded in the country during the first quarter of 2026. This is an outright lie,” Darakhvelidze said.

He said the figures can be verified on the Interior Ministry’s official website, where crime statistics are published quarterly, including the number of crimes recorded and clearance rates.

“As for the number of intentional murders, in the first quarter — from January through March 2026 — a total of 15 intentional murder cases were recorded, and all 15 were solved. The individuals who committed these acts have been held criminally responsible,” Darakhvelidze said.

According to the deputy minister, the figure of 532 refers to the total number of investigations initiated into offenses against human life, rather than intentional murders.

“To explain this clearly to the public, only 15 of the 532 cases were intentional murders, while the remaining approximately 92% of investigations concerned incitement to suicide and negligent homicide. That amounts to approximately 492 cases,” he said.

Darakhvelidze explained that police are required to launch an investigation whenever questions may arise regarding a person’s death, including cases involving natural death or death under unclear circumstances.

“In all such cases, investigations are initiated under Article 115 of the Criminal Code, concerning incitement to suicide, or Article 116, concerning negligent homicide. The factual circumstances are then established to determine what caused the person’s death,” he said.

According to Darakhvelidze, only three of the 492 cases confirmed circumstances that could potentially indicate a criminal offense, while investigations into the remaining cases are ongoing.

“The main falsehood spread by Vika Filfan was that 532 intentional murders occurred in the country. Such a number has not been recorded not only in a single quarter, but even throughout an entire year for several years now. Overall, approximately 70 to 80 intentional murders occur in the country annually, and the public can easily verify this figure through our website,” Darakhvelidze said.

He added that the Interior Ministry does not conceal any data and publishes crime statistics at the end of every quarter.

“The total number of investigations initiated was presented to the public in a manipulative manner, as though it represented the total number of intentional murders, whereas it actually represents the number of investigations initiated. In most cases, these may not involve a crime at all, and that is how many such cases ultimately conclude,” Darakhvelidze said.

The deputy minister also rejected claims that 1,804 cases of intentional grievous bodily harm had occurred in the country.

“This is also an outright lie, and we do not confirm such information. This too can easily be verified through our website. Around 90% of the 1,804 figure represents investigations initiated into violence and domestic violence,” Darakhvelidze said.

According to him, the figure of 1,804 represents the total number of investigations initiated under offenses against health, rather than the number of people injured.

“Here too, the figures for domestic violence and ordinary violence were combined. Since these offenses fall under the chapter concerning crimes against health, Vika Filfan combined them and presented the information to the public as though 1,804 cases of injury had occurred in the country, just as she presented 532 cases as intentional murders. Here too, the information was presented to the public in a manipulative manner,” he said.

Darakhvelidze said anyone interested in accurate information can access quarterly crime statistics on the Interior Ministry’s website, police.ge, under the public information section. The data include comparisons with the same period of the previous year, as well as information on recorded offenses and clearance rates.

He said the overall crime clearance rate exceeds 70%.

“The clearance rate is above approximately 70%, which is unprecedentedly high. Ms. Vika can compare this with the same period of previous years. For example, in 2018 or 2017, the clearance rate may not even have reached 30%,” Darakhvelidze said.

According to the deputy minister, the figures cited by Filfan were intended to create the impression that the situation in the country was uncontrolled and that people’s safety was not protected.

“This is a simple falsehood and an attempt to create a perception among the public that the situation in the country is uncontrolled and that people’s safety is not protected, which has no legal or factual basis. These falsehoods can easily be verified against official data,” he said.

Darakhvelidze added that the data are also published on the National Statistics Office website and said international studies regularly cited by the public point to Georgia’s high level of safety.

“The fact that the country is included among safe countries indicates the effective work of the Interior Ministry and state law enforcement agencies. A number of international studies also clearly confirm this,” Darakhvelidze said.