The Public Defender of Georgia echoes the footage released by public sources relating to violence against citizens by law enforcement officers.

The Public Defender condemns all types of unlawful actions by police officers, especially ill-treatment.

“Due to high public interest, the Public Defender of Georgia would like to provide the public with brief information on the main findings and recommendations reflected in the 2025 parliamentary report relating to treatment by police, which is based on the activities of the Special Preventive Group. In 2025, the Special Preventive Group conducted 79 monitoring visits to police facilities and temporary detention isolators, spoke with defendants and convicts in penitentiary institutions, as well as lawyers, and obtained and analyzed various types of important data.

As a result of monitoring, the Special Preventive Group annually receives information about violence against detainees by the police, both during and after detention, in police vehicles and administrative buildings. In addition, in the cases identified as a result of the study of medical documentation in temporary detention isolators, approximately half of the persons detained on administrative charges indicate that they were injured directly during and/or after detention.

The Public Defender reiterates that the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment is impossible without effective guarantees to combat impunity and protect against ill-treatment. Unfortunately, the recommendations issued in this regard have not been implemented for years.

Patrol inspectors and criminal police officers are still not obliged to videotape their interactions with citizens. There is also no obligation to videotape the stay of detainees in police vehicles or to make audio-video recordings of the interrogation process. The number of cameras in police departments and divisions has not increased significantly, and in some divisions there are no cameras at all.

The illegal practice of detaining individuals without formal procedures was also revealed in 2025. In addition, the report describes problems with informing detainees about their rights and access to a lawyer, as well as shortcomings in the production of documentation, including about the use of force by the police”, reads the statement.

The Public Defender once again calls on the relevant state bodies to immediately take effective steps to implement the recommendations reflected in the parliamentary report.