Gakharia for Georgia party claims 2019 protest probe ‘politically motivated’ after checkpoint case ‘falters’

The Gakharia – For Georgia opposition party has accused the Georgian government of launching a politically motivated investigation into the dispersal of the 2019 anti-Russian protests in capital Tbilisi, following what they called the collapse of a parallel case involving a security checkpoint near the occupation line in Chorchana in central Georgia. 

The allegations come after the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office temporarily closed part of Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi to conduct investigative actions related to the June 20–21, 2019 crackdown, widely known as Gavrilov’s Night. The European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that Georgia had violated Article 3 of the European Convention by failing to conduct an effective investigation into the police violence used during the protests when the For Georgia founder, Giorgi Gakharia, served as the country’s Interior Minister. 

But according to Gakharia – For Georgia, the renewed attention to the 2019 case served as 'Plan B' - a 'political counterattack' after the so-called Chorchana case “failed” to produce legal consequences for former Prime Minister Gakharia. 

“The Chorchana issue did not fully materialize, so Plan B was activated,” party leader Kakhaber Kemoklidze said in a social media post on Friday, implying that the 2019 protest investigation was being used to undermine Gakharia’s political standing.

The Chorchana case revolves around a Georgian police checkpoint established on 24 August 2019 near the village of Chorchana, close to the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.

The checkpoint was set up under Gakharia’s leadership as Interior Minister and was seen by many in government as a strategic move to counter the creeping occupation - known as "borderisation" - by Russian-backed forces. The Georgian side claimed it was built to halt illegal advances into Georgian-controlled territory and was coordinated with relevant agencies, including the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM).

However, the action prompted an immediate reaction from de facto South Ossetian authorities, who accused Tbilisi of provocation. They responded by setting up their own positions just metres away, escalating tensions and effectively advancing the occupation line.

A parliamentary fact-finding commission, established earlier this year by the ruling Georgian Dream party, has claimed that the decision to establish the checkpoint had not been fully coordinated and may have unintentionally led to the occupation of nearly one million square metres of additional Georgian territory. Critics claimed the move lacked proper strategic planning and provoked a dangerous standoff.

The State Security Service and the Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the matter under criminal charges related to abuse of power and threatening national security. However, no charges were ultimately filed, and the case has largely stalled - prompting Gakharia’s allies to claim that it has now been politically replaced by the 2019 protest probe.

The Gakharia – For Georgia party has insisted that the reopening of the 2019 protest case was designed to damage the reputation of its leader ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. 

Former judge of the European Court of Human Rights, Nona Tsotsoria, also questioned the legitimacy of the renewed investigation into the June 2019 crackdown, pointing out that the Strasbourg Court ruling was under appeal and was not yet legally enforceable. She called the current actions premature and potentially politically driven.

The 2019 protests were sparked by the presence of Russian MPs, including Sergei Gavrilov, in the Georgian Parliament, which triggered a public outcry and mass demonstrations. The violent dispersal by police injured over 240 people, including dozens of journalists. Two protesters were left blind in one eye after being struck by rubber bullets.

Rustaveli Avenue, the site of those protests, was reopened at 6 p.m. on Friday after several hours of closure for investigative procedures.

For more than 200 consecutive days, pro-European demonstrators have been gathering on the avenue.