Tbilisi Mayor: protest over police abuse case aimed at discrediting law enforcement

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has said a planned protest following the arrest of police officers accused of violence is an attempt to discredit Georgia's police force, arguing that the authorities had already acted to address the alleged wrongdoing.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kaladze said the authorities had responded immediately after footage of the incident emerged and that all suspects had been detained.

"It was very difficult to watch those images," he said. "What is important is that there was an immediate response from the state and all those responsible have been arrested."

The mayor argued that efforts to discredit the police were not new and claimed that law enforcement agencies had consistently responded when criminal offences were identified.

Kaladze noted that around 40,000 police officers serve in Georgia and said any officer found to have committed a crime should face legal consequences regardless of position or rank.

Asked whether the charges against those detained should be upgraded, the mayor declined to comment on the legal merits of the case.

"I am not a prosecutor," Kaladze said. "There are relevant institutions that can answer that question more competently. All I can say is that crime must be prevented and responded to appropriately."