Arrested opposition leader calls for accountability over alleged abuse in detention

Georgian opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria has accused law enforcement officials of subjecting her to degrading treatment while in detention, and said she was seeking accountability through both domestic and international legal mechanisms.

Writing on social media on Monday, Khoshtaria, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, alleged that she was forcibly stripped while being held in a temporary detention facility in Tbilisi’s Digomi district in 2025. 

She described the incident as humiliating and said it amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment.

She further claimed that a police officer was specifically called in from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and that the actions were carried out under instructions delivered via telephone communication.

Khoshtaria further noted she was aware of the identities of all those involved and insisted that both the individuals who carried out the act and those who ordered it would be held responsible.

Her comments come after she said she had reviewed findings under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, which she stated outlined a range of alleged criminal offences and human rights violations, including claims of systemic wrongdoing by the state.

Khoshtaria said she intended not only to pursue her own case but also to support others who may have experienced similar treatment in temporary detention facilities. She added that a dedicated lawyer had been appointed to work on such cases and called on other alleged victims to come forward.

“The document provides various international mechanisms and legal procedures that can be used,” she said, adding that her aim was to ensure accountability for all those responsible.