The Ministry of Internal Affairs [MIA] of Georgia responds to claims circulating in certain media outlets suggesting that law enforcement officers physically assaulted a young man in the city of Gori.

“On January 3, officers of the Gori District Division of the Shida Kartli Police Department of the MIA detained a citizen born in 2000, who was intoxicated, behaving aggressively, damaging a vehicle belonging to another person. During the arrest, his companion, Luka Topchishvili, born in 2005, who is convicted and currently under probation, obstructed law enforcement officers in the execution of their duties and physically assaulted police personnel.

He punched an officer in the face, then attempted to evade arrest and assaulted another officer who was pursuing him. Police detained him for resisting arrest and assaulting officers, in accordance with Article 353 of the Criminal Code.

The reports claiming that police officers allegedly physically assaulted a young man are false and represent deliberate disinformation aimed at unjustly discrediting the police and their personnel.

Regrettably, amidst our ongoing efforts to combat crime more effectively, some media outlets have increasingly accused law enforcement officers of outright lies. The MIA will not tolerate such attempts to tarnish the reputation of police officers. We are committed to providing the public with transparent, detailed information on all such incidents and will expose those spreading disinformation”, - reads the statement.