The three officers were convicted for attacking Guram Rogava, a journalist for the TV channel Formula, and Zviad Maisashvili, a participant in the demonstrations. The assaults took place in November 2024 on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, during the dispersal of protests against the authorities' decision to halt the country’s path toward European Union accession.

One of the convicted officers was found guilty of attacking Rogava. In addition to the five-year prison term, he has been barred from practicing his profession for three years. Lasha Gamkrelidze, the new prosecutor assigned to the case, informed the journalist of the verdict by phone.

Rogava had intended to testify in court as a victim, but the prosecutor explained that both the court and the defense deemed the charges indisputable, rendering his testimony unnecessary. The journalist himself believes that the individual who actually carried out the assault remains at large.

Two other special forces officers received five-year sentences for the beating of Zviad Maisashvili. Defense attorney Dimitri Mchedlishvili confirmed this information to the outlet *Tabula*. According to Maisashvili, both men pleaded guilty and apologized to him.

The attack occurred around 6:30 a.m. on November 30, 2024. The officers kicked Maisashvili in the face, causing him to lose consciousness. Footage of the assault circulated on social media.

On May 7, 2026, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of five suspects in connection with the assaults on Rogava, Maisashvili, and opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili. Four of those detained were either current or former members of special police units, while another served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ security police department. Two of them were already serving sentences at the time of their arrest.

The individuals were charged with abuse of office involving the use of violence. The case concerning the attack on Rogava also included a charge of unlawfully obstructing journalistic activity. According to the initial assessment by the Prosecutor’s Office, these offenses carry a potential sentence of five to eight years in prison.

The authorities reported that the investigation involved questioning over 550 witnesses and conducting thousands of investigative and procedural actions. The Prosecutor’s Office stated that it would continue efforts to identify other potential participants in the attacks.

Following the arrests, Amnesty International urged that the investigation not be limited to these five individuals. On May 8, 2026, Denis Krivosheev, the organization’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, stated that the arrests were not commensurate with the scale of violence documented during the demonstrations.

"Justice and accountability require more than the arrest of five law enforcement officers on charges of violence against protesters," Krivosheev emphasized.

Amnesty International has documented dozens of instances of unlawful use of force, as well as alleged torture and ill-treatment. Some victims sustained severe injuries, including bone fractures. Krivosheev also noted that hundreds of complaints regarding violence had been filed, and he called on the Prosecutor’s Office to examine the actions not only of those who directly committed the acts but also of those who issued the orders or failed to prevent the abuses.

As early as January 14, 2025, the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had called on the European Union to push for an international investigation into the attacks on journalists in Georgia. Jeanne Cavelier, head of the organization’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, linked the systematic violence against media representatives to the impunity enjoyed by law enforcement agencies and restrictions on press freedom.

"RSF [Reporters Without Borders] strongly urges the EU to take decisive action and initiate an international investigation into the violence committed against journalists, in order to hold those responsible to account," Cavelier stated.

The organization noted that some journalists required long-term medical treatment following beatings, while others were unable to return to work.

In the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index, Georgia fell from 77th to 103rd place out of 180 countries.

Protests began on November 28, 2024, following an announcement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that the process of opening negotiations for Georgia’s accession to the European Union would be suspended until the end of 2028. Police used water cannons, tear gas, and batons to disperse the demonstrations.

According to a report by the Public Defender of Georgia, between April 15, 2024, and March 1, 2025, the ombudsman and his representatives visited 624 individuals who had been detained or injured during the protests. Of these, 360 reported experiencing ill-treatment. The report further stated that, during this period, not a single police officer was held accountable for violence committed by law enforcement.