Special Investigation Service to Fold Into Prosecutor’s Office
Georgia’s Special Investigation Service (SIS) will be absorbed into the Prosecutor’s Office, the investigative authority told the media without providing further details, stating that the specifics will be included in the legislative initiative to be submitted to the one-party parliament.
The SIS, launched in 2022 as an independent investigative body under the 2017-2020 Association Agenda between the European Union and Georgia, was tasked with effectively, timely, and independently probing violent crimes and ill-treatment by officials. It is, however, widely seen as lacking independence, showing negligence, and thus complicit in human rights violations, as no police officers have been charged for targeting protesters over the past year.
Calling the planned decision “alarming,” GYLA head Nona Kurdovanidze said that while the investigative body was already “lacking function” and had “failed to fulfill its mission and mandate,” the move signals that “there is not even a formal interest” in maintaining even a nominally independent structure.
On April 10, the United Kingdom sanctioned SIS head Karlo (Koka) Katsitadze for failing to investigate and hold accountable the law enforcement officials who have targeted citizens, political opposition leaders, journalists, and young activists during protests since the passage of the Foreign Agents Law in May 2024.
NOTE: This news article was updated on May 19 at 16:00 to include Nona Kurdovanidze’s comment.
Also Read:
- 16/05/2025 – CSOs Report Reveals Human Rights Crisis in Georgia Following 2024 Elections
- 03/02/2025 – SJC Warns of ‘Normalized’ Police Brutality, Calls for Investigation and Accountability
- 17/01/2025 – SIS: 52 People from Protests Granted Victim Status
- 05/12/2024 – Special Investigation Service Probes Alleged Police Violence During Pro-EU Protests
- 30/12/2021 – Georgian Dream Abolishes State Inspector’s Service
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