Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has launched criminal proceedings against former prime minister and interior minister Giorgi Gakharia, accusing him of ordering the violent dispersal of protesters during the June 20-21, 2019 “Gavrilov’s Night” unrest and of overstepping his authority in connection with the 2019 Chorchana checkpoint near the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region.

At a briefing on November 12, prosecutor general Giorgi Gvarakidze said the case involves “the organisation of intentional grievous bodily harm against more than two persons during a protest rally held in the territory adjacent to the parliament building, and the abuse of official authority by a person holding state political office.”

Gakharia, who now leads the opposition For Georgia party and resides in exile in Germany, faces up to 13 years in prison if convicted under Articles 25, 117 and 333 of the Georgian criminal code.

The Prosecutor’s Office stated it will apply to the Tbilisi City Court within the statutory timeframe to seek Gakharia’s pre-trial detention.

Charges linked to Gavrilov’s Night crackdown

The first charge relates to the events of June 20 and 21, 2019, when police violently dispersed thousands of protesters outside the parliament building in Tbilisi after Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov’s controversial address to the Georgian legislature.

The confrontation left more than 240 people injured, including journalists, police officers and demonstrators — two of whom lost their eyesight after being hit by rubber bullets.

According to Gvarakidze, Gakharia, then serving as interior minister, “in disregard of instructions and legislation, ordered Special Task Force officers to use special means collectively, in parallel mode, without any warning and without giving peaceful participants in the demonstration the opportunity to leave the area, thereby organising the intentional infliction of bodily harm to citizens.”

The investigation was reopened after a May 2024 European Court of Human Rights ruling found Georgia had failed to properly investigate the police response and urged the government to hold those responsible accountable.

“Accordingly, a number of investigative actions were carried out, including investigative experiments with the participation of the victims, hundreds of witnesses were additionally interviewed, and more than a hundred different types of examinations were conducted. As a result of the investigative actions, the guilt of a specific person – Giorgi Gakharia, was revealed,” Gvarakidze stated.

Chorchana checkpoint

The second charge concerns Gakharia’s decision in August 2019 to install a police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana, along the occupation line with the Russian-backed Tskhinvali authorities.

According to Gvarakidze, the decision was made “without coordinating with the prime minister of Georgia, and without informing the State Security Service or the European Union Monitoring Mission,” despite Gakharia’s position as both interior minister and secretary of the National Security Council at the time.

Gvarakidze noted that Gakharia’s actions “deliberately exceeded the limits of his official authority,” provoking an escalation in which “illegal armed formations of the de facto Tskhinvali regime occupied heights on territory controlled by the Georgian authorities”.

Wider opposition crackdown

The charges against Gakharia follow a renewed push by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party to silence political opponents.

On 6 November, prosecutors launched criminal cases against eight major opposition leaders, accusing them of “crimes against the state” including inciting a coup to topple the GD government.

First vice speaker of parliament Gia Volski dismissed claims that the proceedings against Gakharia were politically motivated, noting that the former prime minister had “left the Georgian Dream under very dubious circumstances” and “took steps that were directly related to creating certain problems for national security”, as cited by Interpress.