Georgian Prosecutors Arrest Suspect Over Alleged Blackmail of Minor Using Private Video

Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has arrested a suspect accused of illegally obtaining and storing intimate video footage of a minor and using it to blackmail the victim.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, an investigation conducted by its Tbilisi-based unit for combating violations of privacy found that the suspect had obtained and stored video material depicting the minor’s private life through social media.

The suspect allegedly threatened to distribute the footage unless the victim exposed their naked body during a video call.

The suspect will be charged under Article 157¹, Part 1, of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which covers the unlawful acquisition, storage and use of private-life material. The offence carries a prison sentence of up to seven years.

Prosecutors said they would ask the court to order the suspect’s pre-trial detention within the legally prescribed timeframe.