ECHR: Georgia Excessively Used Force in 2019 Protest Response

The Ministry of Justice has provided details on the Grand Chamber ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the protests that took place in Tbilisi on June 20-21, 2019.

The Ministry stated that the judgment confirms that states may use special means when law enforcement officers or state institutions come under attack but it also identifies serious violations stemming from how force was applied during the dispersal, The Caspian Post reports, citing foreign media. The Grand Chamber found that police actions should have been directed specifically at demonstrators engaged in violent behaviour. Because the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the time failed to ensure this, the Court ruled that Georgia violated Article 3 (ill-treatment), Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of assembly) in the cases of numerous applicants. The ruling also notes that the escalation and attempted storming of Parliament were instigated by opposition politicians.

The Ministry pointed out that the government fully cooperated with the Court by submitting all requested information, leading to the dismissal of claims regarding a lack of cooperation. The Court did not examine Article 13.

Following concerns raised in an earlier 2024 Chamber judgment, Georgian authorities opened an investigation into the planning and execution of the police operation. On November 12, 2025, the Prosecutor’s Office initiated criminal proceedings against former Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia in connection with the events. The investigation remains ongoing.

In total, 26 individuals were involved in the Strasbourg case. The ECHR found Article 3 violations for 24 of them, Article 10 violations for 14 and Article 11 violations for 11 applicants. Gakharia also faces a separate criminal case and has been ordered into pre-trial detention in absentia.