On November 29, representatives of Georgia’s Public Defender’s Office visited 40 individuals detained during a recent protest rally, providing updates on their findings. The office reported that 29 additional detainees were visited during the day, with 28 held in Tbilisi detention centers and one in the Samtredia temporary detention center.

According to Officem, among those visited was journalist Guram Rogava, who informed that he was physically assaulted by law enforcement while performing his duties at the rally. Rogava reported losing consciousness during the incident. The Public Defender’s Office has appealed to the Special Investigation Service to investigate the violence against him.

“Of the 29 detainees, 23 claimed they had experienced mistreatment, primarily physical assault during the arrest process. Some also reported verbal abuse by law enforcement. Visible injuries included head wounds and facial injuries.

Several detainees stated that officers from the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs initiated the arrests and handed them over to unidentified personnel before documentation was finalized by patrol police officers,” Public Defender’s Office stated.

Allegations were also made regarding the inclusion of false information in detention records, a practice the Public Defender’s Office has criticized as a violation of procedural norms.

The Public Defender’s Office pledged to pursue legal action and monitor investigations into the alleged mistreatment.