The News in Brief

Six Police Officers Arrested Over Gori Beating Caught on Video

Six law enforcement officers were arrested on May 28 in connection with the beating of two men during a detention in Gori, the Prosecutor's Office announced, a day after video footage of the incident sparked widespread public outrage.

The six face charges of exceeding official powers through violence under Article 333 of the Criminal Code, carrying five to eight years in prison. The Prosecutor's Office said they "exceeded their official powers through the use of violence during the detention of the victim" and that "the victim's rights were substantially violated, and their health was also harmed."

The video, which went viral after being published by local media, showed up to ten officers in Gori's Kombinati settlement forcibly detaining one man and kicking him repeatedly while beating another man lying on the ground. The men could be heard screaming. The circumstances preceding the incident remain unclear.

The incident drew condemnation from opposition politicians, civil society representatives, and senior clerics. Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the footage "absolutely unacceptable" and said state agencies would have "an appropriate response."



Hudson Institute President Rejects Kobakhidze Threats Over Iran Report

John Walters, the President of the Hudson Institute, issued a sharp rebuke to Irakli Kobakhidze following the leader's suggestion of potential legal action against a researcher co-authoring a critical policy report.

The dispute stems from a study published by the Washington-based think tank concerning Iran's expanding influence in Georgia. The report was co-authored by American foreign policy expert Luke Coffey and Georgian researcher Giorgi Kandelaki, a prominent local scholar and former opposition member of parliament.

In response to government condemnation, Walters explicitly took responsibility for the publication and challenged Kobakhidze's rhetoric.

"Dear Mr. Kobakhidze, Hudson Institute is the publisher of this report," Walters stated. "As the President of Hudson, I stand behind the research and conclusions. The facts are not changeable by bluster and threats. You are not the Georgian Dream, you are a destroyer of Georgian Dreams."

The backlash from the Hudson Institute followed a press conference where Kobakhidze told journalists that a new small wave had come against the Georgian people, accusing involved agents of hostility. He singled out Kandelaki by name, describing the Georgian co-author as a formula of betrayal.

"We know his past activities, we know what he is doing today," Kobakhidze said. "I do not know, maybe even legal action might be appropriate in connection with this fact, but this is not my business, this is the business of the relevant state agency."