Sanctioned Georgian Interior Minister Gomelauri resigns

Georgia’s Interior Minister, Vakhtang Gomelauri, a US and UK-sanctioned official whose tenure has been marked by violent crackdowns on pro-European protests, announced his resignation on Wednesday.

In his resignation statement published on the ministry’s website, Gomelauri said that after more than a decade of service in various law enforcement agencies, as well as working as Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister, he asked his team to allow him to resign, claiming that ‘the situation in the country is calm’.

Gomelauri stated that his resignation will give him the opportunity to spend more time with his family.

He additionally thanked the founder of Georgian Dream and its current honorary chair, Bidzina Ivanishvili, for the ‘trust’ bestowed upon him, as well as Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the ministry staff.

Before holding public office, Gomelauri worked as the head of security for Ivanishvili. Shortly after Georgian Dream came to power in 2012, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs in 2013-2014. In 2015, he briefly served as Interior Minister, after which he was appointed head of the State Security Service (SSG), a post he held until 2019, when he was reappointed Interior Minister.

During Gomelauri’s tenure, significant protests erupted against Georgian Dream’s policies, including rallies against the controversial foreign agents laws in 2023 and 2024 and the current wave of demonstrations in response to the government’s EU U-turn.

Protesters detained during the ongoing rallies have reported being systematically beaten and robbed by police, with testimony from several detainees revealing episodes of extreme violence and intimidation.

‘When we get in the minibus, the fun will start’ — How Georgian police torture detained protesters

Demonstrators detained by police during the protests in Tbilisi have noted a systemic pattern of police brutality.

OC MediaMariam Bogveradze

In response to the violent practices, multiple high-ranking officials from the security agencies, including Gomelauri himself, were sanctioned by the US, UK, and the Baltic states, among other countries.

As an apparent act of defiance against the sanctions, Georgian Dream appointed Gomelauri as Deputy Prime Minister, while separately Kobakhidze awarded Gomelauri and other sanctioned police officers with the Order of Honour, emphasising their ‘honour and humanity’.

New Interior Minister announced

Shortly after Gomelauri’s resignation announcement, a government administration briefing was held, during which Kobakhidze introduced Gela Geladze as Gomelauri’s successor.

Geladze previously held various positions in the Interior Ministry and other government bodies, including during the United National Movement government (2003–2012), which Georgian Dream has frequently denounced as a ‘criminal regime’ and vowed to punish.

Geladze’s past positions include investigator at the Tbilisi Main Department of the Interior Ministry in 2005, deputy head of a division in the ministry’s Criminal Police Department from 2005 to 2006, and deputy head of the mandate service at the Ministry of Education and Science from 2010 to 2012.

During the Georgian Dream era, he held various roles in several ministries, including head of a department in the Central Criminal Police Department, and most recently Deputy Minister of Education, Science, and Youth from 2023 to 2024.

Kobakhidze described Geladze as a ‘lawyer of exceptional qualifications’.

Georgian Dream chair and ex-Prime Minister Gharibashvili announces exit from politics

Rely on OC Media? We rely on you too. Amidst the current global turmoil, small news outlets like ours could be the first to close. Help us get off grants and become the first reader-funded news site in the Caucasus, and keep telling the stories that matter. Become a member The chair of Georgian Dream and former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili has announced his departure from politics. Speaking at a briefing in the ruling party office on Friday, Gharibashvili said he had ’honor

OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia