Today the main question is: who is protecting criminals? Why is the government trying to shift responsibility onto a few law enforcement officers when more than ten police officers were involved in violence against two citizens? Why is there no discussion about the individual responsibility of those who witnessed the crime and did nothing to prevent it? Why is there no consideration of reclassifying the case under more serious charges, including group violence and torture?” — said the Secretary General of the coalition “Strong Georgia – Lelo,” Irakli Kupradze, during a briefing regarding the violence in Gori.

Kupradze also called on the Prosecutor’s Office to reclassify the charges and assess the actions of each police officer individually.

“The incident in Gori once again showed that the ‘anti-Georgian Dream’ system is committing violence against Georgian citizens.

I appeal to Georgian parents and citizens that criminal police and law enforcement agencies are beating your children in remote places and construction sites. Your children are periodically assaulted, abused, and then the victims are arrested, detained, and sent to prison.

This is a rare case where the victim was lucky—because at the construction site where he was physically assaulted and tortured, he happened to live next to a journalist who was able to record the footage.

We must remember that your children, our citizens, are defenseless before the law enforcement agencies of the ‘anti-Georgian Dream’ system.

The incident in Gori once again confirmed that the ‘anti-Georgian Dream’ does not understand that the systemic violence it creates will return with severe political and legal consequences.

The ‘anti-Georgian Dream’ continues violence against the victim, continues propaganda against the victim, and continues intimidating family members, as reflected in initial and later public statements.

We are witnessing an attempt to discriminate against the victim, while simultaneously charging the victim in a case where more than ten police officers tortured a person at a construction site. This is a complete legal nonsense. This is not a rule-of-law state; this is tyranny where an autocrat and authoritarian power abuses its own citizens.

Today the main question is again: who is protecting criminals? Why is the government trying to shift responsibility onto a few law enforcement officers when more than ten police officers were involved in violence against two citizens? Why is there no question of individual responsibility for those who watched the crime and did nothing to stop it? Why is there no consideration of reclassifying the case under more serious articles, including group violence and torture?

It must also be remembered that a crime is committed both by action and by inaction. Those law enforcement officers who stood by and watched the torture of citizens and did nothing to stop it are also responsible for crimes committed through inaction.

We demand that the Prosecutor’s Office immediately inform the public whether reclassification of the case is underway. Every police officer’s actions must be assessed individually under the law. Responsibility must be established both for direct perpetrators and their superiors, because it is clear that this is not an individual misconduct but a systemic policy carried out by Bidzina Ivanishvili and the ‘anti-Georgian Dream’ against Georgian citizens.

Stop the dirty propaganda campaign against the victim. Stop violence and pressure on family members, which is clearly demonstrated by changed comments and statements that show this pressure from the ‘anti-Georgian Dream.’

Irakli Kobakhidze and his sanctioned Interior Minister will not escape political responsibility. It must also be said that the statement by MP Tsulukiani was extremely serious. She openly said—and everyone clearly understood—that crimes should be committed in a way that no one finds out; that citizens should be persecuted and tortured so that no one knows about it.

Tsulukiani is not concerned about what the public saw in the footage, but rather that someone is talking about it. I address Ms. Tsulukiani and the ‘anti-Georgian Dream’: if you think we want to be chased, beaten, arrested, and then falsely accused just so you can prevent us from speaking about it, this is both blindness and a lie from the ‘anti-Georgian Dream.’

Everyone understands that the ‘anti-Georgian Dream’ has become a political party of systemic violence that does not serve the Georgian people. The Georgian people will be served by a new national government that will create a lawful and just state.

Parents must remember: your children are defenseless against the system of the ‘anti-Georgian Dream.’ Your children are beaten and tortured in remote places, but they may not be lucky enough for journalists to be present to record and publish the footage. Today Georgian youth are in danger under this violent anti-Georgian regime.

Our goal is to remove the ‘anti-Georgian Dream’ from power and create a just and lawful state,” said Kupradze.