Revealing truth or violating state secrets? Why was ex-deputy head of State Security of Georgia arrested

Arrest of the former Deputy Head of State Security of Georgia

“Disclosure of information regarding personal life and/or personal data” – this is the alleged charge against Soso Gogashvili, the former Deputy Head of the Georgian Security Service, who was detained on the evening of July 15 in Tbilisi.

The arrest caused a big scandal and protest in the society, as many journalists and experts consider this to be Gogashvili’s punishment on behalf of the authorities.

Experts also recall his active and extremely negative role in a special operation in the Pankisi Gorge in 2017, when a 17-year-old local resident, Temirlan Machalikashvili, was killed.

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Several hours before his arrest, Soso Gogashvili published a letter on social networks, in which he stated that he had evidence of falsification of the results of local elections in Georgia in 2021.

He stated that he had already handed these documents over to diplomats and non-governmental organizations.

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Also, the name of Gogashvili appears in another noisy story.

A few days before his arrest, the pro-government TV channel Maestro released a secret recording of a meeting in the editorial office of the leading opposition TV company, Mtavari Arkhi.

The recording was made back in November 2021, as the journalists of the TV channel suggest, with a wiretapping device illegally installed by the State Security Service.

Among other things, meeting participants say in this recording that Soso Gogashvili provided Mtavari and other opposition TV companies, Formula and Pirveli, with secret information about the activities of the State Security Service for several years.

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In a July 16 comment, the State Security Service, however, claims that Soso Gogashvili was detained as part of a long-standing investigation and no new case has yet been filed against him.

A video of Gogashvili’s detention was posted on social media by his wife Tea Martkopashvili. The video shows the special forces enter the house, knock Gogashvili to the floor.

After Gogashvili’s arrest, law enforcement officers searched the house of his daughter Nini Gogashvili in the village of Gonio in the Adjara region. In the video she filmed, the investigation officer informs her about the search warrant and that it was issued as part of an ongoing investigation under Article 157 of the Criminal Code.

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Gogashvili’s wife stated that she “saw with her own eyes and would swear on the Bible” that the security forces who came with the search allegedly planted unregistered weapons in the house: a gun under the mattress and a Kalashnikov assault rifle in the closet.

Tea Martkopashvili also claims that the reason for her husband’s arrest was “his contacts with foreigners […] with diplomats and non-governmental organizations.” She addressed the Public Defender with a request to help find out where Soso Gogashvili was taken.

What do the experts say?

Gia Khukhashvili, political scientist:

“It is clear that it is pointless for them to interrogate Gogashvili. All his crimes are joint [with them], and they know this very well. Therefore, he is now not being interrogated, but they are choosing the charge to accuse him on. Maybe they don’t know what to do yet.”

It is unlikely that a country, where a person is accused not of committing systemic crimes, but of reporting them, can become part of the European Union, Khukhashvili says.

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Tamta Mikeladze, Center for Social Justice:

“Gogashvili is an odious figure. My opinion about him is extremely negative. The terrible tragedy of the Machalikashvili family is connected with him.

19-year-old Temirlan Machalikashvili was killed in his bed by special forces who broke into his house at the end of 2017 during an anti-terrorist operation in the Pankisi Gorge.

Gogashvili not only participated in that special operation but he organized the “dehumanization” of the Machalikashvili family in the eyes of society. He also spread absurd and harsh accusations against our organization because we were defending Temirlan’s parents.

Despite this, I do not have the feeling that his arrest is some kind of restoration of justice. Moreover, this is most likely not connected with the case of Temirlan Machalikashvili.

The restoration of justice will be possible in an independent justice system, free from political interests. And here, political interest is clearly visible, and fair justice cannot be expected. The form of his arrest was also unacceptable.

In any case, this story requires to be observed by society. It is stated that some secret information of a negative political content was handed over to the diplomatic corps and the media. It will probably be revealed soon.”

Arrest of the former Deputy Head of State Security of Georgia Gogashvili