Georgia’s Special Investigation Service launches probe into alleged police abuse during Tbilisi protest

Georgia’s Special Investigation Service on Monday said it had launched an investigation into alleged abuse of police powers during a protest on Agmashenebeli Alley in Tbilisi on Sunday against the Government’s decision last year not to include European Union accession talks in its agenda until 2028.

The agency noted it was receiving reports on incidents that had allegedly taken place during arrests made at the protest through a hotline, as well as from temporary detention centres and the Public Defender’s Office. 

Law enforcement officers detained 31 individuals during the rally, with all of them taken into administrative detention with charges of disobedience to police officers.

Some of the detainees, including Nika Melia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change opposition, were later released on bail.