The Prosecutor’s Office has arrested five individuals in connection with acts of violence committed against Zviad Maisashvili, Levan Khabeishvili and Guram Rogava during the 2024 demonstrations,” announced Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze at a briefing held at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

As Gvarakidze noted at the briefing, three of those arrested are former riot police officers, one is a serving riot police officer, and one is a currently serving employee of the Security Police Department.

“As a result of operational and investigative measures carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, three former and one serving riot police officer, as well as one serving employee of the Security Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), have been identified and arrested in connection with acts of violence perpetrated against Zviad Maisashvili, Levan Khabeishvili and Guram Rogava during the course of the ongoing demonstrations in 2024. More specifically, two of the five accused are already in custody in connection with separate criminal offences and administrative violations, whilst three were arrested today.

In the course of these criminal proceedings, the Investigative Division of the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office has conducted thousands of investigative and procedural actions, including the questioning of more than 550 individuals as witnesses.

First episode: On November 30, 2024, on Rustaveli Avenue, two then-employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Tasks Force, one of whom is, as of today, an employee of the Security Police, physically assaulted Zviad Maisashvili, causing him to lose consciousness. This footage is well known to the public.

Second episode: On April 30, 2024, on Rustaveli Avenue, during the course of a demonstration, a then-employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Tasks Force, who is currently head of a unit within the Special Operations Department of the State Security Service, along with another employee of the Special Tasks Force, physically assaulted Levan Khabeishvili.

Third episode: On November 29, 2024, during a demonstration on Rustaveli Avenue, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Tasks Force physically assaulted journalist Guram Rogava, who was carrying out his journalistic duties at the moment of the attack.

All five detainees will be charged under Article 333, Part 3, Subparagraph (b) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to the unlawful and violent abuse of official authority. The individual arrested in connection with the Rogava episode will additionally face charges under Article 154, Part 2, concerning the unlawful obstruction of a journalist’s professional activities by means of violence. The charges as laid carry a custodial sentence of between five and eight years.

The Prosecutor’s Office will apply to the court for a remand in custody in respect of all five accused. In overall coordination with other law enforcement agencies, we shall continue the investigation with a view to identifying and bringing to criminal account all those involved in the episodes described above, as well as in other acts of violence,” Giorgi Gvarakidze stated at the briefing held at the Prosecutor’s Office.Gvara