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Georgia’s Public Prosecution Service said on Friday that its representatives had visited 11 of 43 people detained between late Thursday and Friday at a rally outside the parliament building in Tbilisi as they protested the government’s decision to suspend the country’s accession negotiations to the European Union until 2028.

The Bureau said it had identified nine cases of “possible assault” during the arrests, including three involving journalists.

The body added that two of the individuals who received treatment following clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies could not be interviewed due to multiple injuries.

The Bureau said six of the injured people visited by its representatives “showed clear physical signs of violence,” with one journalist suffering a fractured skull and others suffering swelling and bruising around their eyes and faces.

In light of these findings, the Bureau urged the country’s Special Investigation Service and the Public Prosecution Service to conduct a “swift and thorough investigation”, emphasizing the need for “accurate legal classifications” of the alleged abuse.

The agency also urged the Interior Ministry to cooperate in identifying “all responsible police officers, members of the special forces and relevant officials within the ministry” and to provide “all necessary information and documentation” to to support the research.

Furthermore, the Office has emphasized the importance of ensuring the right to a fair trial for those arrested during the protests, urging the courts not to rely solely on police reports “in the absence of neutral evidence.”

It also said video footage showed police “chasing protesters away from the assembly point” and responding to the main location of the rally, adding “this suggests a possible motive for retaliation and intimidation.”

The level of violence and brutality against journalists, together with the alleged deliberate damage to their equipment, underlines concerns about the inappropriate treatment of journalists and interference with their professional activities. The outspoken criminal activities of special forces are likely encouraged by the virtual impunity they enjoy,” the agency said.

The absence of identification marks and body cameras on police officers has further fueled this perception, the report noted, urging the MIA to rectify the surveillance issues – a view also expressed by the European Court of Human Rights in previous statements were repeated.

The Interior Ministry said earlier today that police had arrested 43 people during overnight protests for “disobedience to police orders” and “petty hooliganism”.

It added that an investigation had also been launched under the Criminal Code for alleged attacks on police officers or public institutions and property damage “using dangerous means”. The body further reported injuries to 32 police officers, 13 of whom required surgery.

Twenty-two journalists and cameramen were reportedly attacked during the demonstration, domestic media also reported.

The protests, which were already present before the government’s announcement on Thursday, gained new momentum with the development, with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze saying the decision to suspend EU accession negotiations was based on interest in “worthy” EU integration amid a “cascade of insults and blackmail by European politicians and bureaucrats”.