Georgia’s Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze has called the beating of 29-year-old Gori resident Papuna Lotsulashvili by police officers a “regrettable fact.”
According to the ministry representative, the incident was preceded by a police operation during which law enforcement officers stopped the citizen for a check. However, according to Darakhvelidze, the man refused to comply with police demands, subsequently showing aggression and attacking one of the officers. He allegedly struck the officer with a “blunt object – a stone.” The officer is currently undergoing medical treatment.
The Deputy Minister admitted that the police had exceeded their authority by using violence that resulted in the citizen’s injury.
“The Ministry condemns any violence and declares its full readiness to cooperate with investigative bodies to fully and objectively establish the circumstances of the case and bring the perpetrators to justice under the law,” — Darakhvelidze stated.
Earlier, it became known that six Interior Ministry officers had been detained as part of the investigation. The Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation against them under Article 333, Part 3, Paragraph “b” of the Criminal Code of Georgia. This article covers exceeding official authority involving the use of violence or weapons, and carries a prison sentence of five to eight years.
At the same time, a criminal case has also been opened against the victim, Papuna Lotsulashvili. He is being investigated under Article 353 (Resistance, threat, or violence against an officer protecting public order, or another representative of authority). The man faces house arrest, a fine, or imprisonment for a term of two to six years.
As a reminder, on May 27, the regional media outlet qartli.ge published footage showing several police officers beating Papuna Lotsulashvili in the “Kombinat” neighborhood of Gori. Following the incident, the man was detained but was soon released from the temporary detention facility. Lotsulashvili was found to have a fractured rib and other injuries.