Georgian authorities have initiated proceedings against law enforcement officers over the violent crackdown on the 2024 protests

Georgian authorities detained several former and current police officers on Thursday in connection with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2024. 

The arrests are the first known actions taken against law enforcement after scores of journalists and protesters were attacked, threatened, and abused in detention during demonstrations against the government’s decision to halt EU accession talks. 

During a briefing on Thursday, Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze said four riot police officers — three former and one current — and one serving Security Police Department official face charges related to the assault of journalist Guram Rogava, politician Levan Khabeishvili, and protester Zviad Maisashvili.

“Two of the five defendants were already in custody in connection with other criminal and administrative offenses, while the remaining three were arrested today,” he said. 

All five detainees will be charged for “exceeding official powers using violence,” while one will face charges for “unlawful interference with a journalist’s professional activities through violence,” he said, adding that the charges carry a potential 5 to 8 year prison term.

The announcement came days after Formula TV, a local broadcaster, published an investigation revealing the initials of an officer who the report said had attacked the station’s former reporter Guram Rogava. 

Authorities have not disclosed the names of those detained, and Rogava expressed concern that his attacker may not be among them. He also called on authorities to expand the probe to higher-ranking officers.   

“It is important that an investigation be conducted not only against the perpetrators, but also against those who gave the orders," Rogava told Formula TV after the arrests.

Local and international watchdogs, including the Council of Europe, have raised concerns regarding a persistent lack of police accountability over the 2024 protests despite numerous documented abuses. 

During the demonstrations, police detained hundreds of demonstrators, more than 300 of whom reported beatings or other ill-treatment, rights groups found.