Has Any Police Officer Been Held Accountable? There's No Such Case! - Ioseliani

According to the report, from April 15, 2024, to March 1, 2025, the Public Defender and his representatives visited 624 individuals detained and injured during protest rallies. Of these, 360 individuals (57.7%) reported ill-treatment. More specifically, out of 182 visited individuals detained and injured during the April and May 2024 protests, 93 reported ill-treatment (51.1%). From 442 individuals visited from November 28, 2024, to March 1, 2025, 267 individuals (60%) reported ill-treatment.

The Public Defender stated that in 2024, the dangerous environment for media representatives in the country was problematic, becoming particularly acute during protest gatherings.

"During the rallies, journalists, along with protesters, became victims of particularly aggressive law enforcement officers. There was both ill-treatment of journalists and obstruction of their professional activities. 

Representatives of the so-called masked groups from the winter rallies, who brutally attacked, including journalists, remain unpunished," Levan Ioseliani said.

“Did I hear correctly, or was it really about unacceptable actions by police officers against journalists during rallies?! I was astonished! 

For weeks, police officers were protecting this country, this country's stability, and the safety and peace of every citizen – so that a revolution and a coup didn’t happen. I'm not even talking about fireworks, cold weapons, or other means that were used and how police officers were attacked. Beyond this, police officers were under immense psychological and emotional stress from every demonstrator, including those journalists you are talking about, but I haven't seen a single fact of any incorrect behavior by police officers towards journalists, and if it's about isolated incidents, that cannot be generalized”, said Nino Tsilosani, MP from Georgian Dream parliament. 

Tea Tsulukiani, another Georgian Dream leader, questioned whether the Public Defender's office still employs staff who prepared parliamentary reports during Nino Lomjaria's ombudsmanship. 

"When you were appointed to this position, did you conduct a reorganization? with whom are you working? Why did I get this question – thank you for many things, but I didn't understand one thing – you stated that there is overcrowding in prisons, but you did not mention that precisely during the reporting period, last year, the super modern Laituri prison was opened. Also, when you talk about protesters' rights being violated, shouldn't you mention a wounded police officer at least once? Also, you are concerned about women and women's rights, thank you for that. I don't expect you to protect me; I don't even need that protection. Lomjaria used to say she wasn’t our protector, are you our protector? If so, when you talked about women, why didn't you talk about women deputies and attacks on them? When talking about children, why didn't you say anything about Mariam Lashkhi's children at least once? Okay, you said it was the 2024 report, have you ever inquired about how Giorgi Kalandarishvili's children were? When a harmful person splashed ink on his father's face and the children watched it live, not knowing if their father, who was at work, had gone blind? This needs to be balanced for us to believe you! No matter how difficult it is for me, I will not dare to bother you because I know you have many other better and more important things to do.

"Perhaps it's the 'staff's' fault that they selectively provide you with topics. Did you conduct a reorganization or not, and if not, why? Are you still working with the staff of the harmful Ms. Lomjaria, and are we hoping they will protect our rights?

And are you coincidentally still working with Burjanadze's staff, who seem to believe that there is inhumane treatment in the de-escalation rooms, in today's Georgian prisons? This is a very irresponsible statement.

I am interested if you are still working with these people. This apparatus was made up of arrogant people. I am interested if you are still working with these people. Did you conduct a reorganization or not? If you did, then why can't you see Mariam Lashkhi's children, why didn't you see that Laituri prison was built? Why don't you see us? Or tell us that you are not our ombudsman. Do you ever protect our rights? Why didn't you mention the wounded police officer? Why didn't you mention that the country was facing a serious threat of destabilization?" Tsulukiani stated.

"I work with the people I found in the Public Defender's office. Some of them are from Mr. Sozar Subari's time, some from subsequent Public Defenders. I don't think that if people do their job conscientiously, I should judge them based on who appointed them. The reason for reorganization can be many other things, but not this.

I get the impression that since the opposition isn't in this hall, you've decided to vent your anger on me, but I will try to answer all questions. Regarding violence against journalists, I think there are numerous examples. If you look at the report, it states facts of journalists being beaten and attacked.

If the state violates your rights, I will indeed protect them. Because the Public Defender protects human rights violations from the state and does not protect the state. This is written in the organic law and is the spirit of the constitutional provision. ...My duty is to protect human rights from the state, in this case, from the police," Ioseliani noted.