Prosecutors Charge Former PM Giorgi Gakharia Over 2019 Crackdown and Chorchana Case
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Former Prime Minister and current For Georgia party leader Giorgi Gakharia is facing criminal prosecution over his actions during two major incidents in 2019, when he was serving as interior minister. The Georgian Prosecutor's Office announced that Gakharia, who currently resides abroad, could face up to 13 years in prison if found guilty.
Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze said authorities plan to request his pre-trial detention. The investigation focuses on the violent police crackdown on protesters during the June 2019 demonstrations, known as "Gavrilov's Night," and on Gakharia's later decision to install a police checkpoint near the village of Chorchana, close to the occupation line with the Russia-backed Tskhinvali region.
The first case dates back to the night of June 20, 2019, when thousands of people rallied in front of Parliament after a Russian lawmaker took the Speaker's seat during an interparliamentary event. Riot police dispersed the demonstration using tear gas and rubber bullets, leaving more than 240 people injured. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in May 2024 that Georgia failed to properly investigate the episode, prompting prosecutors to reopen the case.
According to investigators, Gakharia personally approved the use of force without proper warning, violating legal procedures and resulting in serious injuries to several demonstrators.
The second case involves the establishment of a police checkpoint in Chorchana in August 2019. Prosecutors allege Gakharia authorized the move without consulting the National Security Council or informing other key state institutions, including the State Security Service and the EU Monitoring Mission. They claim this decision overstepped his authority and damaged state interests.
Gakharia has denied wrongdoing and defended his decisions in both matters while testifying before a temporary parliamentary commission investigating alleged abuses by former officials.
