The Gori City Court has remanded all six police officers who were charged over the beating of two men in the city to pre-trial detention. At the same time, an investigation against one of the assaulted individuals continued on charges of violence against a police officer.
The officers were first detained on 28 May, the day after the incident occurred, footage of which went viral across Georgia and sparked widespread outrage over police brutality. Judge Germane Dadeshkeliani announced his decision to keep all six in pre-trial detention on Friday.
In addition to their detention, the court granted the motion of the prosecutors to remove the officers from their positions. If convicted, they face between five and eight years in prison.
Footage of the assault was published by local outlet Qartli.ge on the day of the incident, 27 May. It later emerged that the victims were Papuna Lotsulashvili and Lasha Abisonashvili. Following the incident, Lotsulashvili was taken to a hospital and was reportedly discharged at his own request. However, on Friday, after his condition worsened, he had to be hospitalised again.
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Amidst public outrage, Deputy Interior Minister Alexandre Darakhvelidze condemned ‘all forms of violence’. However, he went on to claim that one of the assaulted men — apparently Lotsulashvili — had refused to comply with police officers’ request to verify his identity and had attacked an officer with a stone, causing injuries that required the officer to be taken to a medical facility.
A few hours after the incident, Lotsulashvili was briefly detained on suspicion of assaulting an officer. Although he was later released, the investigation continued. If convicted, he faces a penalty ranging from house arrest or a fine to up to six years in prison.
Revaz Revazishvili, one of the lawyers representing Lotsulashvili, described Darakhvelidze’s account as having been ‘invented’. The officer whom Darakhvelidze claimed was attacked is not among the charged and detained officers.
Those who condemned the incident included civil society members, clergy, and opposition politicians. The event was also criticised by the authorities, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
However, representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party also pointed to the state response, with some arguing that police violence is not a systemic problem today but was instead characteristic of the former ruling United National Movement (UNM) era, which is now in opposition.
‘I want to address all police officers […] and urge caution. You have enemies and ambushes, and in their view you are supposed to be harmed. They were pleased with what happened yesterday’, Tea Tsulukiani, a prominent Georgian Dream MP and a former cabinet minister, said on 28 May, commenting on the incident.
During discussions of the incident, many emphasised the importance of footage recorded by journalists. The leader of the opposition party Girchi — More Freedom, Zurab Japaridze, noted that the detentions occurred ‘because the act of violence was captured on video’.
‘Police treat people like that every day in this country, across the entire territory’, he added, recalling the severe police violence against protesters during the anti-government demonstrations in November–December 2024.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
On Saturday, Gigla Lotsulashvili — the brother of Papuna Lotsulashvili — posted on Facebook on behalf of his brother, saying that the latter was unable to do so himself due to not having access to social media. According to the post, Lotsulashvili expressed gratitude for the support but rejected what he described as ‘various political statements’ being made on his behalf.
‘Please, no one should speak on my behalf. And let this incident be an example in the future that no one who behaves like this will go unpunished’, he added.
Less than an hour after the post, one of Lotsulashvili’s lawyers, Lasha Tkesheladze — who is known for his critical stance toward the government — said he was no longer representing the victim and that another lawyer would instead defend his interests. Tkesheladze did not specify whether this was linked to the statement made by Lotsulashvili’s brother.
