The article discusses an interview with Irakli Shaishmelashvili, a former Head of the Operational Planning Department at the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), where he shared his concerns and criticisms about the current state of law enforcement in Georgia. Some key points from the interview include:
* Shaishmelashvili expressed frustration with the aggressive behavior of some rally participants and accused them of being provocateurs who had been hired to disrupt the protests.
* He criticized the police for using excessive force during the dispersal of rallies, including the use of gas and the siege of protesters.
* The former MIA official lamented that police units have not undergone proper training or used specific manuals, which he attributes to a lack of merit-based cadre policy within the MIA.
* He also criticized the MIA’s human resources approach, citing cases of people with high school education being appointed to managerial positions.
* Shaishmelashvili revealed that on July 5, 2021, during the violent homophobic march against Tbilisi Pride, police actions were coordinated with Andria Jaghmaidze, the press secretary of the Georgian Patriarchate.
* He stated that Deputy Interior Minister Shalva Bedoidze informed him of this communication, which resulted in the police operation plan being changed and not implemented as originally planned.
* Shaishmelashvili criticized the Georgian government for failing to use high-tech surveillance equipment provided by the United States to monitor movements near the occupation line with Russia.
* He directly linked the lack of preventive measures to the tragic murder of Tamaz Ginturi, claiming that if preventive measures had been taken, Ginturi’s murder would not have happened.