PM Kobakhidze: No law violation should go unpunished; authorities responded appropriately and soundly; the public observed proper action

“It is the hallmark of his government that it makes no difference who commits a crime, whether an ordinary citizen or a representative of a law enforcement body; in either case, no law violation should go unpunished,” Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze has stated.

The Prime Minister added that the public had witnessed an adequate, proper and sound response from the authorities.

“It is very welcome that this footage was made public, in that it afforded the authorities the means to respond immediately. This was a very grave incident and, of course, it demanded an immediate legal response. The public has seen that the authorities responded in an adequate, proper and sound manner to this serious matter. No law violation, and least of all a violation of this kind, should go unpunished. It is of the utmost importance that law enforcement structures operate with the highest degree of refinement. This is what our government has brought since 2012, and it is a standard of conduct we must guard most carefully. The measures taken today will help us uphold that standard to the fullest extent,” Kobakhidze declared.

The Prime Minister went on to contrast this with the conduct of the previous government, which he said not only failed to punish wrongdoers but actively shielded them.

“It is a mark of sound governance when the authorities respond properly to a breach of the law. I would remind you of what the previous government’s conduct looked like. Take, for example, what occurred in the case of Sandro Girgvliani. Not only were those responsible not genuinely punished; in fact, quite the opposite, but the perpetrators were also given every comfort. A fair response would be for you to present a single example where something similar happened, and the authorities chose to ignore it. But I can bring you any number of cases in which similar crimes were committed, and the previous government not only failed to respond but actively shielded the perpetrators and created the most favourable conditions for them. The Girgvliani case is but one example that bears this out.

Our approach is different. Our approach is that it makes no difference who commits a crime, whether an ordinary citizen or a representative of a law enforcement body; in either case, a violation of the law must not go unpunished. That is the standard of conduct of which I speak,” Kobakhidze stated.

The Prosecutor’s Office has arrested six individuals in Gori on charges of violently exceeding official authority in connection with actions taken by police officers.