Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office: five persons arrested over violence against protesters and journalist in 2024

Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has detained and charged five individuals - including former and current special forces members and a Security Police officer - in connection with violence against protesters and a journalist during demonstrations in 2024.

During a press briefing, Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze announced that the suspects were identified following a large-scale investigation into the physical assault on citizens Zviad Maisashvili, Levan Khabeishvili, and journalist Guram Rogava.

Extensive operational and investigative measures led to the identification of the suspects. Over 550 witnesses have been questioned and thousands of investigative and procedural actions have been carried out as part of the cases.

The first incident concerns events on November 30, 2024, when two then-employees of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department assaulted Zviad Maisashvili on Rustaveli Avenue, causing him to lose consciousness. One of the suspects currently works for the Security Police Department.

The second episode relates to April 30, 2024, when, during a protest on Rustaveli Avenue, a former Special Tasks Department officer - who is now a division head in the State Security Service’s Special Operations Department - and another officer assaulted opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili.

The third case concerns an incident on November 29, 2024, when a Special Tasks Department officer assaulted journalist Guram Rogava while he was performing his professional duties during a protest.

All five detainees have been charged under Article 333, Part 3(b) of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which concerns violent abuse of official authority. The suspect accused in the attack on Rogava also faces an additional charge under Article 154, Part 2, for unlawfully interfering with a journalist’s professional activities through violence.

The charges carry prison sentences ranging from five to eight years.

Prosecutors said they will request pre-trial detention for all five suspects.

Gvarakidze added that the investigation is continuing, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, to identify and prosecute other individuals allegedly involved in violent incidents linked to the 2024 protests.