The Central Criminal Police Department and Tbilisi Police Department have detained three individuals on charges of participating in group violence and assaulting a police officer, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

N.J., born in 2004, was arrested for participating in group violence. A.K., born in 1999, and S.S., born in 1993, who has a prior conviction for drug offenses, were arrested for assaulting a police officer. The charges carry penalties of up to nine years in prison.

“The investigation revealed that during protest rallies on Rustaveli Avenue, N.J. engaged in systematic violence against law enforcement officers and threw pyrotechnics with the intent to harm. On December 1, A.K. threw a Molotov cocktail at officers during a rally on Rustaveli Avenue. On December 4, S.S. attacked an officer with a baton during a rally on Liberty Square, causing a head injury.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is investigating these incidents under Articles 225, 239, and 353 of the Criminal Code. Additional investigations are ongoing regarding violent actions during the rallies, with nine individuals detained under Articles 187 and 353. Eight others have been arrested for organizing or participating in group violence and inciting violence, and one person has been charged with preparing an explosion,” the MIA stated.