TBILISI, May 9 – Georgian courts have ordered five law enforcement officers held in custody over violence during the 2024 protests, including attacks on Formula TV journalist Guram Rogava, protester Zviad Maisashvili and opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili.
The cases mark one of the most concrete legal moves so far over police violence during the protest wave, which rights groups and opposition media have long said went largely unpunished.
Three former employees of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department were remanded in custody on Saturday over the violence against Rogava and Maisashvili. One of them is currently an employee of the Protection Police. All three are accused of exceeding official powers through violence. One also faces a separate charge of violently and illegally obstructing a journalist’s professional work in the Rogava episode.
In a separate hearing, two law enforcement officers were also ordered held in custody over violence against Khabeishvili. They are a current head of one department in the State Security Service’s Special Operations Department and a former employee of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department. They have no lawyers at this stage, according to Interpressnews.
Prosecutors say all five detainees face charges under Article 333 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, covering excessive use of official powers through violence. The charges carry a possible prison sentence of five to eight years.
Prosecutor Giorgi Nadiradze said the three suspects in the Rogava and Maisashvili case admitted guilt in court. He said the investigation began about a year ago, hundreds of witnesses had been questioned, and dozens of hours of video footage had been obtained and reviewed. He said the investigation is still continuing.
One defense lawyer, Tornike Tatunashvili, said his client had given detailed testimony and claimed he acted alone.
According to Tatunashvili, his client said there had been no order from anyone and that “this crime was committed only by him.” The lawyer said the defense had asked for bail, arguing that the accused did not try to hide, appeared when summoned, admitted the crime and cooperated with investigators.
Maisashvili, who attended the closed hearing as a victim, said both officers accused of violence against him had admitted guilt and one apologized. But he said he could not say justice had been restored by the arrest of five people, arguing that violence during the protests was much wider and many other cases remain unpunished.
(Article has been updated.)
