The Juvenile Affairs Department of the Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against four additional individuals for acts of torture, robbery, and participation in organized group violence against a minor. The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia released the information.

According to the investigation conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, members of a group adhering to a “fascist-Nazi” ideology organized violence against minors and others whose lifestyle or identity they found unacceptable.

"Members of the group, motivated by intolerance and aiming to identify and punish people with different views, sexual orientations, and identities, attacked selected victims in an organized and group manner, humiliated them, took away personal belongings, physically and psychologically abused, and tortured them. They also recorded videos of the violence and shared them on various social networks and closed groups, inflicting severe physical, mental, and moral suffering on the victims," the statement says.

The four individuals are charged under:

• Article 225, Parts 1 and 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (organization of group violence accompanied by violence and participation in it);

• Article 178, Part 2(a) and Part 3(a) (robbery by a prearranged group causing significant damage);

• Article 144 prima, Part 2(z) and Part 3(b) (torture of a minor by an organized group with prior intent).

According to the Juvenile Justice Code, the punishment for these crimes can be up to 12 years of imprisonment.

All four defendants are already serving sentences in a penitentiary for other criminal offenses.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs continues its investigation to identify other participants in the crime.

So far, 22 individuals have been charged in connection with organized group torture, robbery, and violence against minors.