Journalist Guram Rogava stated that he has reason to doubt whether the special forces officer detained in connection with his case is indeed the individual who attacked him during the protest. Following the court hearing, Rogava noted that he had come to court to “look into the eyes of the person who is the defendant in my case,” but at present, he is not convinced of his involvement.
“On July 13 at 13:00, the examination of evidence will begin, though ‘evidence’ is in quotation marks. The only things in the case file, according to information obtained by the Formula TV company, are official correspondence between the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as a confession. There is nothing else in the case.
I came here to look into the eyes of the person detained in connection with my case, but at the moment I am not sure that this person is indeed the attacker. The video footage and the physical build of the person in court, in my opinion, do not match – he is of a shorter stature. Therefore, I have questions.
The defendant addressed me and offered an apology, but I have reasons to doubt that he is indeed the attacker,” Guram Rogava stated.
As a reminder, the Prosecutor’s Office detained five individuals—including three former and one active law enforcement officers, as well as an employee of the Security Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs—as part of an investigation into violence against participants of the 2024 protests, including journalist Guram Rogava, politician Levan Khabeishvili, and demonstrator Zviad Maisashvili.
Two former special forces officers are already in custody in connection with other criminal cases.
All five have been charged under Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Georgia—exceeding official authority with the use of violence. In the episode involving Rogava, one of the defendants is also charged under Article 154—unlawful obstruction of the professional activities of a journalist with the use of violence.
The penalties under these articles carry prison sentences of five to eight years. The case concerning Levan Khabeishvili has been separated into a separate proceeding.