The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has charged 16 more individuals, including Irakli Shaishmelashvili, in absentia with attempting to seize a strategic and special-importance facility, organizing and participating in group violence.

A briefing was held at the Prosecutor General's Office of Georgia in this regard.

Of the 16 individuals charged, only Mariam Mekantsishvili will be an exception, for whom the agency is requesting bail as a preventive measure, while it requests pre-trial detention for the others.

"Within the framework of the ongoing investigation into the events of October 4 at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was established that Iuri Lomidze, Giorgi Talakhadze, Davit Giunashvili, Temur Kurtsikidze, Genadi Kelikhashvili, Dato Ghurtskaya, Ramaz Jorbenadze, Jandri Tirkia, Gia Toloraia, Guri Zhvania, Kakhaber Kvachantiradze, Simon Makharadze, Avtandil Topchishvili, Mikheil Toloraia, together with other individuals, in accordance with the calls of the already detained organizers of group violence, attacked and physically damaged the protective fence of the administrative building of the President of Georgia and broke into the yard in order to seize a strategic object. In order to seize the building and resist the law enforcement officers mobilized in the yard, some of the accused also physically abused and threw various objects at law enforcement officers who were heading towards the Presidential Administration building along Atoneli Street. They expressed aggression towards them, threw iron structures and various objects, and physically and verbally abused them, thereby endangering their lives and health.

Also, in order to disrupt the normal functioning of the Georgian political system and its constituent constitutional bodies, a group of individuals with a negative attitude towards the government, including the former head of the Operational Planning Division of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia - Irakli Shaishmelashvili, on October 4, at a rally planned in Freedom Square in Tbilisi, with the aim of mobilizing citizens who are aggressive towards the government, gathering them and involving them in violent actions, several days before the elections, made public calls for the violent change of the constitutional order of Georgia and the overthrow of the state government. The accused Shaishmelashvili also tried to demoralize the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and called on them not to perform their official duties and not to interfere with those involved in violent actions, in order to achieve the goals aimed at the violent change of the constitutional order of Georgia and the overthrow of the state government.

At the same time, within the framework of the aforementioned criminal case, another detained person - Mariam Mekantsishvili, in order to clearly disobey the lawful request of a government representative, organized a group action on October 4, while on Atoneli Street, calling on citizens to gather to coordinate further actions, disobey police officers and use violence against them. After the above, violent actions continued on Atoneli Street and Rustaveli Avenue, during which the participants deliberately vandalized, damaged and set fire to the property belonging to municipal and private individuals located in the surrounding area, did not obey the lawful demands of police officers and grossly violated public order.

Law enforcement officers arrested the defendants on October 17 based on a judge’s ruling.

Irakli Shaishmelashvili was charged in absentia under Article 317 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (Public call to change the constitutional order of Georgia by force or to overthrow the state government), which provides for up to three years of imprisonment as a form and measure of punishment.

Mariam Mekantsishvili was charged under Article 226 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (organization of group action), which provides for up to three years of imprisonment as a form and measure of punishment.

Iuri Lomidze, Giorgi Talakhadze, Davit Giunashvili, Gia Toloraia, Guri Zhvania, Kakhaber Kvachantiradze, Simon Makharadze, Avtandil Topchishvili, Mikheil Toloraia were charged under Part 2 of Article 225 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (participation in group violence), which provides for up to six years of imprisonment as a form and measure of punishment.

Temur Kurtsikidze, Genadi Kelikhashvili, Dato Ghurtskaya, Ramaz Jorbenadze, Jandri Tirkia are charged under Article 225 of the Criminal Code of Georgia The charges were filed under Article 19-222, Part 2, Subparagraph “a” (attempt to seize an object of strategic and special importance, committed by a group) and Article 225, Part 2 (participation in group violence), which provides for up to six years of imprisonment as the form and extent of punishment.

The Prosecutor's Office will apply to the court within the time limit established by law with a request to use detention as a preventive measure against 15 defendants. As for the defendant Mariam Mekantsishvili, taking into account various circumstances, the Prosecutor's Office will apply to the court with a request to use bail as a preventive measure.

"Withinn the framework of the ongoing investigation into the same case, 48 more individuals have been charged with attempting to seize a strategic and special-importance facility and participating in group violence," the Prosecutor's Office said.