On March 13, a Facebook account named Oboladze Gia posted that a “young beast who proposed to a girl” was arrested for aiming and shooting fireworks at a police officer. The post refers to Irakli Miminoshvili, who was detained in early December for participating in protests and is accused of involvement in group violence. The post further claims that Miminoshvili is a proven criminal who deliberately aimed fireworks at a young police officer’s genital area, leading to the officer requiring an amputation.
The claim that Irakli Miminoshvili was arrested for shooting fireworks at a police officer is false. The Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of participating in group violence during the protest, but his guilt has not yet been proven. In a video released by the Prosecutor’s Office, an individual with the initials I.M. is seen holding and throwing an object, but it is not a firework. Additionally, Miminoshvili’s lawyer confirmed that firework use is not part of the charges against him, nor is there any law enforcement officer with such an injury.
19-year-old student Irakli Miminoshvili was arrested at his home in Tbilisi on December 4. Before his arrest, his home was also searched. The Prosecutor’s Office accuses the student of participating in group violence (Article 225: Organization, management, or participation in group violence), a charge that carries a prison sentence of four to six years.
On December 5, 2024, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office released a video filmed during a protest rally. At the time, the Prosecutor’s Office stated that nine individuals depicted in the footage had been arrested and were accused of organizing and participating in group violence. The video also shows an individual with the initials I.M., who is seen throwing an object.
In the footage, the person whom the Prosecutor’s Office claims to be Irakli Miminoshvili has his face covered, but he is wearing a black raincoat and a face mask. The official video does not show Miminoshvili throwing fireworks at law enforcement officers. Instead, it depicts him holding an unidentified object and throwing it. The video does not indicate whom he is targeting or whether the object hits anyone.
Soon after Irakli Miminoshvili was arrested, his sister, Liza Miminoshvili, posted in the protest group “Daitove” about her brother’s detention. In the post, she stated that Irakli was accused of throwing stones during a protest. “As we later found out, he is being accused of throwing stones. […] Keep your eyes open and be prepared at any second for the absurdity that you can get up to six years in prison for the unproven act of stone-throwing, while beating someone to death is considered legal,” wrote Liza Miminoshvili.
Irakli Miminoshvili is represented in court by lawyer Shota Tutberidze. He explained to Myth Detector that Miminoshvili is accused of participating in group violence, but not of damaging anything or throwing stones at a police officer. According to Tutberidze, while there are injured police officers in the case, there is no evidence linking their injuries to Miminoshvili’s actions (or those of any other detainee), nor is there proof that he used fireworks.
The Facebook post likely refers to an incident where a police officer was struck in the genital area by a firework, as shown in a TV Pirveli broadcast. On December 8, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze held a briefing stating that more than 150 police officers were injured during the protests.
In November-December 2024, large-scale pro-European protests were held against the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to terminate EU accession negotiations until the end of 2028. During these protests, dozens of demonstrators, including Irakli Miminoshvili, were arrested under criminal charges.
The cases of eight defendants, including Miminoshvili, are being tried together. The court has repeatedly granted prosecutors’ requests to keep them in custody. The case has now entered the merits hearing stage, with the next session scheduled for March 24. During a March 12 hearing, Irakli Miminoshvili proposed to his girlfriend.
In early December, 372 people were detained administratively for participating in pro-European protests. Many detainees reported experiencing physical violence by law enforcement. According to UN experts, the severity of harm inflicted on detainees could amount to torture.
Since November 28, Myth Detector has fact-checked multiple false claims and visual manipulations. The campaign to discredit the protests has also involved pro-government media outlets.
About the Source
The Facebook user Oboladze Gia is a supporter of the ruling Georgian Dream party. He participated in a disinformation campaign, uncovered by Myth Detector, which was aimed at discrediting the opposition. Oboladze Gia has also repeatedly spread misleading claims and visual manipulations.
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