The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has detained six people on charges of abuse of official authority involving violence during an incident in Gori. On May 27, the regional media outlet qartli.ge published footage showing several police officers beating a man in the Kombinat settlement.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation established that the violence significantly violated the victim’s rights and caused damage to his health.
The detainees will be charged under Article 333, Part 3, Subparagraph “b” of the Criminal Code of Georgia. This article covers exceeding official authority with the use of violence or a weapon and carries a penalty of five to eight years in prison.
A criminal case has also been opened against the victim, Papuna Lotsulashvili. The investigation is being conducted under Article 353 — resistance, threat, or violence against a public order officer or another representative of authority. He faces house arrest, a fine, or imprisonment for a term of two to six years.
Lotsulashvili was arrested but later released from the pre-trial detention center. According to his lawyer, Lasha Tkesheladze, the man has a broken rib and other bruises.
“My main demand is to drop the case and reclassify the second case regarding police violence under the article on torture,” Tkesheladze stated.
