AKHALKATSI AND OTHERS v. GEORGIA

Published on 29 April 2024 FIFTH SECTIONApplication no. 4355/24Giorgi AKHALKATSI and Othersagainst Georgialodged on 24 January 2024communicated on 11 April 2024SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASEThe applicants are journalists who were forcefully removed by police and security guards from a public meeting held by the Kaspi local legislative assembly on 18 February 2022. They lodged criminal complaints alleging that they had been physically and verbally assaulted during the incident and had been prevented as a result from performing their professional duties. An investigation was promptly initiated under Article 333 § 3 (b) of the Criminal Code (the criminal offence of abuse of authority). According to the case file, the criminal proceedings are still ongoing. The applicants were repeatedly refused victim status and their various procedural requests, including concerning the conduct of the investig …