Police in Plain Clothes, Without Insignia Abduct TV Pirveli Cameraman

TV Pirveli channel cameraman Lasha Jioshvili was abducted in Tbilisi on February 18 by unidentified masked individuals who, according to witnesses, wore no police insignia or markings. According to footage shared on social media by eyewitness Keti Tsulukidze, around ten masked individuals dressed in civilian clothes forced Jioshvili into a vehicle. It was later confirmed that Jioshvili had been arrested under Article 173 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for allegedly disobeying police orders. He remains in custody.

Jioshvili was heard in witness video footage saying “They are putting something in my pocket” during the detention. His whereabouts remained unknown for several hours, with TV Pirveli’s news department head Nodar Meladze reporting that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) was withholding information about his location.

The incident occurred following a protest on Rustaveli Avenue marking the 69th birthday of Georgian Dream Party honorary chairman and founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Protesters chanted “Hellfire to the oligarchy,” released black balloons, and burned Ivanishvili’s photos. Jioshvili participated in the protest, carrying a banner with the message “Today, we all agree on the importance of condoms.”

According to Tornike Migineishvili, Jioshvili’s lawyer, the detention involved multiple procedural violations. These included failure to read his rights, lack of information about the grounds for detention, denial of contact with lawyer and family, and attempts to access his phone by forcing him to unlock it. Migineishvili stated that the Public Defender’s office has documented threats made against Jioshvili by law enforcement officers, and that evidence of a bruise on his left hand suggested that disproportionate force had been used during the arrest. He uploaded the footage of Jioshvili’s handwritten letter on Facebook, in which he said: “Friends, first of all, thank you. The result has been achieved, we have annoyed the “boss” [Bidzina Ivanishvili] on his birthday”.

Jioshvili’s lawyer also raised concerns about his treatment. “The arrest video shows Lasha shouting that something was being planted in his pocket. Then, he was asked [by police], why were you shouting? If we wanted to plant something, there’s a house for that—we could plant anything there too,'” Migineishvili stated. He added that, despite requests, no representative from the Special Investigative Service had yet questioned Jioshvili.

The Media Advocacy Coalition has condemned the detention as “illegal and violent,” demanding Jioshvili’s immediate release. The coalition noted that over a hundred cases of violence, threats, and obstruction of media activities have been documented since protests began in November 2024, with no accountability for perpetrators.

During the recent protests there have been multiple cases of individuals without insignia, dressed in civilian clothes, and so-called “men in black” attacking the protesters and citizens in the streets. Journalists at the GD parliament asked several of GD’s MPs to comment on Jioshvili’s incident. GD MP Bezhan Tsakadze, when asked about the difficulty in distinguishing police officers from kidnappers dismissed the concerns, suggesting that if a person is masked then it’s automatically a law-enforcer. He stated “That’s why we passed the law that masks cannot be worn by citizens.”

Another GD MP, Lado Bozhadze said: “You should ask whether they are police or not, ad they will answer. If it appears that you have been kidnapped, demand to call 112 [an emergency number in Georgia], they will let you call and will let you free.”

Gia Volski, the First Vice-Speaker of GD Parliament, while answering how to distinguish abduction and police detention said “Do you know how to differentiate? Depending on where he will end up – at the cemetery, where they kill, as “your people” [ostensibly referring to the UNM authorities] did? Or will he end up at the detention location where the appropriate investigative procedures are carried out?”

Also Read:

• 04/02/2025 – Testimonies of Police Brutality During Pro-European Rallies
• 01/02/2025 – Ahead of Scheduled Major Protest, GD Makes Closing Highways a Crime, Police Detains Activists
  

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