• On September 30, 2024, Georgia's Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri, issued an order [1] “to implement some measures to ensure the holding of the Parliamentary elections on October 26, 2024 in a free, safe, and peaceful environment”. According to the order, “groups responsible for the prevention of violations of law and response to these violations” - the so-called “territorial groups” will be formed in Georgia's regions and in Tbilisi, in recruitment of which Zviad Kharazishvili (“Khareba”) will participate, individual sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasure for serious violations of human rights.

Providing security for all parties involved on election day is a critically important task. For this purpose, formation of the so-called “territorial groups” was also a case in previous years; however, unlike previous years, according to the new order, territorial groups include, among others, a representative assigned by the head of the Ministry's Special Tasks Department, rather than the head of the appropriate territorial division of the Ministry's Special Tasks Department. Moreover, Zviad Kharazishvili (“Khareba”), who has been sanctioned by the  U.S. Department of the Treasure for serious abuses of human rights, continues to be the head of the mentioned department, who is also notorious for his violence towards protest participants.