Of course, these police officers will be detained. Because someone managed to record it — and it is not as if something extraordinary was committed. They say there was a “cold weapon” (a knife or something similar), which is punishable by a fine, house arrest, or up to 2 years of imprisonment — said lawyer Londa Toloraia, responding to an alleged case of excessive use of force by police during the arrest of a citizen in Gori, in the so-called Kombinati settlement, a video of which has circulated on social media.

According to Toloraia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs should be interested in cleaning the ministry of such police officers and ensuring their exemplary punishment.

“Of course, these police officers will be detained. Because someone managed to record it — in broad daylight, where everyone’s faces are visible. What about those who did not manage to record it? Who will protect the citizens in cases where no one witnesses the violence? Or why are those who were wearing masks during acts of violence not punished?

The cameras in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were almost always ‘broken’ when we needed them for investigating police violence cases, but they always ‘worked’ when the ministry needed them.

Are we still supposed to rely on citizens recording everything? 99% of cases in which prosecution has been launched against police officers (after significant struggle) are exactly such cases — someone recorded it (photo or video) or someone died.

Do we really need someone to die for such police officers to be punished in this country? Do we really all need to witness the violence for those responsible to be held accountable? First and foremost, it should be in the interest of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to cleanse the system of such officers and set an example through punishment. The ministry itself should say: I do not want such police officers in the system.

And it is not as if something extraordinary was committed — they allegedly had a ‘cold weapon’ (a knife or similar object), which is punishable by a fine, house arrest, or up to 2 years of imprisonment,” Toloraia wrote.

For context, in Gori’s so-called Kombinati settlement, police reportedly detained two individuals. Footage of the incident was shared on social media by “Kartli News.” The video shows a group of law enforcement officers physically assaulting the detainees. According to media reports, the head of the Shida Kartli Police Department, Sergi Bzishvili, was also present at the scene. There are also reports that one of the detainees had a cold weapon.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has launched an investigation into the alleged abuse of power involving police violence in Gori. The investigation is being conducted under Article 333, Part 3, Subparagraph “b” of the Criminal Code.