Protester, Musician Allege Police Abuse in Separate Incidents
By Messenger Staff
Friday, October 9, 2026
Anti-government protester Sergey Kancheli, 23, says he left Georgia after six police officers stopped him while he was running on September 27, took him to a cemetery and subjected him to physical and verbal abuse.
In a Facebook post on October 7, Kancheli alleged that the officers scratched his face with a knife, threatened him with a gun and held it to his head, chest and other parts of his body, while pressuring him to engage in sexual intercourse. He said the abuse lasted about 50 minutes.
Kancheli said the officers mocked his civic position throughout the incident and called him an "Akatsuki," a term used by Georgian Dream circles for anti-government protesters. He said he had filed a complaint against the officers and was now in a safe country.
The Prosecutor's Office said on October 8 that it had opened an investigation into possible violence against Kancheli by Interior Ministry employees under Article 333, Part 3, Subparagraph "b" of the Criminal Code.
"All necessary investigative and procedural actions will be carried out in the criminal case, the results of which will be additionally reported to the public," the office said.
Separately, musician Misho Sulukhia alleged on October 7 that seven plainclothes men claiming to be law enforcement officers stopped him near Tbilisi's Lisi Lake, pulled him from a taxi, took his phone and assaulted him.
Sulukhia said none of the men identified themselves or showed identification documents. He alleged they surrounded him for more than an hour and searched him, but found no illegal substances. He said he escaped after seeing them prepare an object wrapped in black tape.
He also alleged that the taxi driver was detained and pressured to confess to a crime he had not committed. Sulukhia's original Facebook post was later deleted but was cited by local media.
The Interior Ministry disputed Sulukhia's account on October 8, saying officers stopped him for a police check after seeing him moving suspiciously through a wooded area near Lisi Lake. According to the ministry, Sulukhia refused to comply with orders, dropped his phone and fled.
The ministry said officers secured and sealed his phone and a bank card found in its case. Administrative proceedings were launched under Article 173 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for failure to comply with a lawful police order.
The ministry did not address Sulukhia's allegations of physical assault or his claims concerning the taxi driver. In a follow-up post, Sulukhia said he feared authorities could fabricate evidence to justify their actions.
