“Everything is absolutely under control, there are no objective reasons to draw alarming conclusions regarding his [Papuna Lotsulashvili’s] health condition,” said Mikheil Sarjveladze while speaking about the condition of Papuna Lotsulashvili, who was physically assaulted by police officers in Gori.

According to the minister, if any treatment needs are identified, all relevant services will be provided.

“Everything is absolutely under control, there are no objective reasons for alarming conclusions regarding his health condition. Since he himself has the desire and willingness to undergo medical observation and examinations, naturally this will be satisfied according to his medical needs. I believe that in the coming days any questions regarding his health condition will be resolved. If any need for treatment is identified, all services will naturally be provided. At this moment, there is no clearly expressed need that would require additional intervention from the patient’s side,” Sarjveladze said.

In response to a question about opposition statements describing the incident involving police violence against citizens in Gori as “systemic crime,” Sarjveladze said that “the United National Movement has absolutely no moral right to speak about violence or systemic crime.”

“We must exclude from discussion the speculative statements made by the United National Movement on this topic.

The United National Movement has absolutely no moral right to speak about violence, systemic crime, and so on. They have no moral authority whatsoever. This is well known to society, including their own supporters.

As for this incident, numerous assessments have been made. Everything has been called by its proper name. It required legal response, and it is very important that a swift legal reaction followed. I believe everything has been brought back into the proper framework required by a real rule-of-law state,” the minister noted.

For context, in Gori’s so-called Kombinati settlement, law enforcement officers physically assaulted two individuals — Papuna Lotsulashvili and his friend. Six law enforcement officers have been detained in connection with the incident and are charged under Article 333, Part 3, Subparagraph “b” of the Criminal Code, which concerns abuse of official authority committed with violence. The offense carries a penalty of 5 to 8 years in prison. An investigation has also been launched against Lotsulashvili under Article 353 of the Criminal Code, concerning violence against a police officer.