The Ministry of Justice of Georgia has released a statement regarding the judgment delivered by the Strasbourg Court in the case concerning the events of June 20, 2019.

According to the statement, with today’s decision, the Grand Chamber of the Strasbourg Court once again confirmed that the state has the legitimate right to use special means when there is an attack or a storming attempt against law enforcement officers or state institutions.

The Ministry notes that the decision also states that during the June 20 demonstration, the escalation and the storming of Parliament were encouraged by opposition politicians.

*"In the cases concerning the events of June 20–21, 2019, the Grand Chamber of the Strasbourg Court delivered its judgment in the case ‘Tsaava and Others v. Georgia.’ The Grand Chamber’s judgment was announced at a public hearing today, 11 December 2025.

The case concerns the demonstrations held on 20–21 June 2019 and the dispersal of the protest using special means.

With today’s decision, the Grand Chamber once again confirmed that the state has the legitimate right to use special means when there is an attack or storming against law enforcement officers or state institutions. The decision also notes that during the June 20 demonstration, the escalation and the storming of Parliament were encouraged by opposition politicians.

According to the European Court’s judgment, the force and special means used by the state must be directed only at those demonstrators whose actions are violent. Therefore, because the then leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs failed to ensure compliance with this standard and did not apply proportional force toward demonstrators, violations of Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment), Article 10 (freedom of expression), and Article 11 (freedom of assembly) of the European Convention were established.

The Grand Chamber’s decision also notes that the Government of Georgia fully cooperated with the Strasbourg Court during the examination of the case, providing all necessary information and materials, and accordingly, the applicants’ claim of a violation of the Convention in this regard was not upheld.

The Grand Chamber did not consider it necessary to examine the complaint under Article 13 of the Convention.

The Government of Georgia took into account the investigative shortcomings identified in the Chamber judgment of 7 May 2024 and launched an inquiry into the planning and execution of the operation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs leadership, to determine its compliance with the standards established by the European Court. As a result of this investigation, on 12 November 2025, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia initiated criminal proceedings against former Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia. The investigation into the case continues,"* the statement reads.