MIA Says Officers Seen in Abuse Footage Were Arrested Months Before TV Pirveli Broadcast
By Messenger Staff
Monday, June 15, 2026
Georgia's Interior Ministry said three police officers shown in recently released footage of alleged detainee abuse were arrested earlier this year, after a TV Pirveli teaser sparked widespread public reaction.
The footage, promoted ahead of an upcoming episode of the investigative program Meladze's Saturday, appears to show detainees being beaten, threatened, and verbally abused inside a police facility. The teaser was released on June 12 and quickly spread across social media.
In response, the Interior Ministry stated that the incident shown in the recordings was not recent and had already been investigated. According to the ministry, the alleged abuse took place in Kobuleti in the summer of 2022 and involved three officers from the Imereti Police Department.
Authorities said the case was uncovered by the ministry's General Inspectorate and referred to prosecutors earlier this year. The three officers were arrested on February 23, 2026.
"The case concerns three officers of the Imereti Police Department who, while on assignment in Kobuleti in the Adjara region in the summer of 2022, committed the crime depicted in the footage," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also accused TV Pirveli of withholding information about the arrests when promoting the report.
"We are aware that the journalists who aired the teaser possess this information, but they deliberately left the information out of the program teaser, with a goal to intentionally discredit the Ministry of Internal Affairs," the statement said.
The teaser includes several clips filmed inside what appears to be a closed room. While the identities of the alleged victims are concealed, officers can be seen and heard pressuring detainees for information. In some of the footage, detainees appear to be struck, kicked, and verbally intimidated.
TV Pirveli claims the videos were recorded by police officers themselves and later circulated in a private group chat. According to the broadcaster, the individual who leaked the material was subsequently arrested. The channel has also suggested that additional recordings exist beyond those shown in the teaser.
Details released earlier by the Prosecutor's Office indicate that the three suspects were serving in the Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Police Department when they were temporarily assigned to Adjara in July 2022. Investigators allege the officers brought three citizens to the Kobuleti police station and subjected them to physical and verbal abuse.
The suspects were charged with exceeding official authority through violence. Officials have not disclosed whether they remain in detention.
The release of the footage has reignited concerns about police accountability in Georgia, an issue that has drawn criticism from rights groups and oversight bodies for years.
The case comes amid broader scrutiny of law enforcement conduct. Earlier this year, six individuals were arrested after a video from Gori appeared to show police officers assaulting two people. In May, prosecutors announced the first arrests of officers accused of abusing demonstrators during the 2024-2025 protest period, following months of criticism that allegations against police were not being adequately investigated.
Commenting on the latest footage, the Public Defender's Office said reports of violence against detainees continue to surface regularly. The office noted that its monitoring teams receive recurring allegations of abuse during arrests and inside police vehicles and stations.
"The prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment is impossible without combating impunity and ensuring effective safeguards against ill-treatment," the Public Defender's Office said, adding that longstanding recommendations aimed at addressing the problem have yet to be fully implemented.
