“There is no direct or even indirect evidence to suggest that anyone was giving orders to the Special Tasks Force to cause harm to anyone,” stated Mamuka Mdinaradze, the State Minister for the Coordination of Law Enforcement Agencies.

Mdinaradze further maintained that law enforcement agencies follow the evidence, not public relations campaigns.

“In the criminal case currently proceeding in this direction, there is not one piece of direct evidence, nor even circumstantial evidence, to lead to the conclusion that anyone was issuing orders to riot police officers to harm or assault specific individuals. It follows that, in the absence even of circumstantial evidence, the investigation has no basis upon which to identify so-called masterminds or those who commissioned the acts. This is simply part of a public relations campaign by those who, I am quite certain, were displeased by the state’s principled approach. If there had been a commissioner involved in this case, and if the relevant evidence had existed, I believe everyone would trust us when we say that we would not have held back. We have demonstrated our commitment to transparency, including the recent detention of high-ranking officials when clear indications of criminal conduct were evident. No one can accuse us of shying away from anyone when a crime is evident.

Therefore, if a single piece of evidence emerges, we will seize upon it, and law enforcement will follow wherever it leads. If no such evidence exists, then naturally, no one can act based on a public relations campaign alone. As matters stand, and as the evidence indicates, these were private initiatives and isolated incidents. Had this been of a systemic nature, for instance, there would not have been just one affected journalist; there would have been many. We follow reality; law enforcement follows reality and evidence, not public relations campaigns,” Mdinaradze stated.

Three former and one serving Special Tasks Force officer, along with an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, have been detained in connection with acts of violence against Zviad Maisashvili, Levan Khabeishvili, and Guram Rogava during the 2024 protests.