Zviad Kharazishvili (; born March 20, 1975), widely known by the nickname Khareba (), is a Georgian security official and colonel of the police. Since September 2019 till 10th of June 2025, he has served as the director of the Special Tasks Department (STD) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Kharazishvili has become a prominent and controversial figure due to his leadership role in the forceful suppression of anti-government protests and numerous allegations of excessive force and human rights abuses in Georgia. These actions led to him being sanctioned by the United States, United Kingdom, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic in 2024 and 2025 for serious human rights violations. His nickname "Khareba" (meaning "Annunciation" in Georgian) is reportedly an allusion to Khareba Jibuti, a character from the 1987 Soviet-Georgian film Khareba da Gogia about two outlaws who became folk heroes.
Zviad Kharazishvili was born on March 20, 1975, in Khashuri, then part of the Georgian SSR, Soviet Union. His career spans several key Georgian security and law enforcement agencies.
Around 1995, during the presidency of Eduard Shevardnadze, Kharazishvili began his service in the Special State Protection Service of Georgia (SSPSG), an agency tasked with protecting high-ranking officials and state facilities. He remained with the SSPSG until approximately 2003, around the time of the Rose Revolution. During this period, Byline Times reported that Kharazishvili was also involved in a fuel business alongside Vakhtang Gomelauri, who would later become minister of internal affairs.
Following the Rose Revolution and the rise of the United National Movement (UNM) government, Kharazishvili joined the Special Tasks Department (STD) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia circa 2003. Initially serving as a mid-level officer, he gained experience within the department's operational structures. He was reportedly involved in the security operation related to the attempted Mutkhrovani Mutiny in 2009, during which one of the main suspects, Gia Krialishvili, was killed.
Around 2009, Kharazishvili was promoted to head a unit within the Special Tasks Department, a position he held until approximately 2015.
In 2015, following the Georgian Dream party's rise to power, Kharazishvili transferred to the newly established State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), where he commanded one of its special forces units. In November 2017, he participated in the anti-terrorist operation in Tbilisi's Isani district. The operation, which involved a lengthy siege, resulted in the deaths of three suspected militants and one special forces officer, with four others wounded. Despite mixed assessments of the operation's handling, Kharazishvili was subsequently promoted to command the more elite 13th "Shavnabada" Light Infantry Battalion.
From 2017 until September 2019, Kharazishvili commanded the Shavnabada Battalion. During his command, the battalion was involved in the controversial dispersal of the June 20âÂÂ21, 2019 protests ("Gavrilov's Night"). The police response, which included the use of rubber bullets and tear gas, led to severe injuries among dozens of protestors.
In September 2019, the newly appointed minister of internal affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri, appointed Kharazishvili as the director of the Special Tasks Department. In this role, he commands the primary riot control and special operations unit within the ministry, frequently deployed during periods of civil unrest.
Kharazishvili's leadership, particularly as director of the STD, has been marked by repeated accusations of excessive force and human rights abuses, primarily during the dispersal of anti-government protests.
Kharazishvili and the STD under his command have been central figures in the government's response to major protest waves:
As a consequence of his documented role in human rights abuses, Kharazishvili was subjected to international sanctions:
Kharazishvili is also included on the Magnitsky List.
Despite the international sanctions, Kharazishvili remained director of the STD. In October 2024, ahead of the parliamentary elections, Interior Minister Gomelauri appointed him as the de facto overseer of election day security measures. This involved Kharazishvili appointing representatives to "territorial operational groups" responsible for responding to violations, including potential "preventive and reactive measures" against gatherings near polling stations. The appointment drew strong criticism from Georgian NGOs and opposition figures, who viewed it as an intimidation tactic given his record of violence against government opponents.
On June 10, 2025, it was announced that Kharazishvili had resigned as the head of the Special Tasks Department amidst a major reshuffle within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The changes followed the appointment of Gela Geladze as the new Interior Minister, succeeding the sanctioned Vakhtang Gomelauri. Kharazishvili was replaced by Roman Kartsivadze. The ministry had previously denied reports of his resignation on May 28, 2025.
Kharazishvili has been accused of holding homophobic views. An ILGA-Europe report noted that during the 2024 protests, he allegedly made homophobic remarks targeting protestors, contributing to a hostile environment for the LGBT community and eroding trust in law enforcement. This occurred amidst a broader context of rising anti-LGBT sentiment, the passage of anti-LGBT legislation, the murder of prominent transgender woman Kesaria Abramidze in November 2024, and attacks on activists and the Tbilisi Pride office.
Zviad Kharazishvili is married. He has a son named Khareba Kharazishvili (born 15 June 2009). The family resides in the Gldani District of Tbilisi, at Microdistrict III, Block 68b, Apt. 71.
According to his official asset declarations filed in 2023 and 2024, Kharazishvili owns or has owned several assets in Georgia: