Following the decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights, the Prosecutor’s Office initiated criminal proceedings against eight individuals, including Lasha Tsanava, in connection with the violent dispersal of participants in a peaceful protest rally near the Tbilisi Police Division on June 15, 2009.

The investigative agency reports that since 2010, the European Court of Human Rights has been reviewing lawsuits filed by participants of the June 15, 2009 rally.

“In 2015, the Government of Georgia acknowledged procedural violations of human rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights in certain cases. They committed to conducting an investigation, supervised by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. To ensure an effective, comprehensive, and objective investigation, the criminal case was transferred to the Department to Investigate Offenses Committed in the Course of Legal Proceedings of the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia.

After a series of investigations by the Prosecutor’s Office, it was found that on June 15, 2009, approximately 150 people participating in a peaceful protest outside the administrative building of the Tbilisi Police Division were surrounded by pre-mobilized employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including L.TS. The protesters were physically assaulted with rubber batons and other means, preventing them from escaping.

Additionally, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs administratively arrested peaceful protest participants, alleging violations of public order. The administrative offense protocols were signed by Ministry of Internal Affairs employees who did not personally participate in the administrative arrests.

As a result of the investigation, as of today, criminal prosecution has been initiated against eight individuals under Article 333 §3 (b) (exceeding official powers by the use of violence) and Article 341 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

The investigation continues to identify and expose other individuals involved in the crime.

As part of the established supervision, the Prosecution Service of Georgia is consistently updating the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the progress and outcomes of the investigation,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.

Lasha Tsanava was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office. Levan Khabeishvili, the chair of the opposition United National Movement party, stated that Lasha Tsanava is his assistant. “As soon as we started addressing citizens’ problems, they decided to interfere and are going to arrest my assistant, Lasha Tsanava,” said Levan Khabeishvili.