What the accusation must actually prove
The medical classification of harm, intent, causation and self-defence can place the same confrontation under different provisions.
Who initiated force, what response followed, what injury was legally assessed and what causal link is proved?
The prosecution must prove every required element beyond reasonable doubt; suspicion, association or an adverse outcome cannot fill an evidential gap.
Evidence specific to this allegation
Medical and forensic reports, photographs over time, CCTV, clothing, scene traces, emergency calls and independent witnesses.
Conduct
Define the exact act attributed to each person, including time, place and role.
Mental element
Test knowledge, intent, purpose or negligence required by the potential provision.
Consequence and causation
Separate what happened from what the accused legally caused.
Articles that may enter the qualification
These provisions are orientation points, not a conclusion. An investigation may start under one article and later be narrowed, expanded or reclassified as facts, expert results, article parts, aggravating circumstances and procedural decisions develop.
Intentional bodily-injury provisions
Articles 117, 118 and 120 address different classifications of intentional harm. Article 119 is deleted, so the medical classification, causation, intent and any claimed self-defence must be mapped to the current provisions.
Read full Articles 117, 118 and 120 text on this pageRead the relevant provisions before the external source
The operative English text below is reproduced from the official consolidated Criminal Code of Georgia, publication 296, accessed 9 August 2026. Formatting has been normalised for on-screen reading; the current Georgian-language consolidated text controls if wording or timing differs.
Article 117Intentional infliction of serious harm to health+
1. Intentional infliction of serious harm to health, i.e. bodily injury that is dangerous for life or which has caused the loss of eyesight, hearing, speech or any organ or its function, mental disorder, interruption of pregnancy, permanent disfigurement of the face or other such injury that is dangerous for life and causes permanent loss of general working ability by at least one third, or complete loss of professional working ability knowingly, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of four to seven years, with or without the restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
2. An act provided for by paragraph 1 of this article, which has caused the loss of life, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years, with or without the restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
3. An act provided for by paragraph 1 of this article, committed:
a) in connection with the official activities or performance of public duties of a victim or his/her close relative;
b) with regard to hostage- taking;
c) by the means that intentionally endanger the life or health of others;
d) with the aim of concealing any other crime or facilitating its commission;
e) against a family member;
f) by an offender knowingly on a pregnant woman;
g) by an offender knowingly on a minor, a helpless person or a person with a disability;
h) with hooligan motives;
i) due to race, religion, national or ethnic intolerance;
j) due to intolerance for equality of women with men;
k) by a group of persons;
l) against two or more persons;
m) with an extreme cruelty;
n) for mercenary purposes or by contract;
o) with the aim of transplanting or otherwise using an organ, part of an organ or a tissue of a victim’ s body;
p) repeatedly (except for murders under Articles 110-114 of this Code);
q) by a person who had previously committed a murder under Article 108 or 109 of this Code, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of nine to thirteen years, with or without the restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
4. An act provided for by paragraph 3 of this article, which has caused the loss of life, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of ten to fourteen years, with or without the restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
Open Article 117 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎Article 118Intentional infliction of less serious harm to health+
1. Intentional infliction of less serious harm to health that is not dangerous for life and has not entailed a consequence provided for by Article 117 of this Code but which is related to a long-term deterioration of health or to a stable and less than one-third loss of general working ability, –
shall be punished by corrective labour for a term of up to 18 months or house arrest for a term of six months to two years, or by imprisonment for a term of two to four years, with or without the restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
2. Intentional infliction of less serious harm to health committed under the aggravating circumstances provided for by Article 117(3) of this Code, or by a person who had previously inflicted intentionally a serious health to health or committed an act provided for in Article 108 or 109 of this Code, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of four to six years, with or without the restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
3. An act provided for in paragraph 2 of this article, which has caused the loss of life, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years, with or without the restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
Open Article 118 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎Article 120Intentional infliction of minor harm to health+
1. Intentional infliction of minor harm to health, which has entailed a short-term deterioration of health or an insignificant or unstable loss of general working ability, –
shall be punished by a fine or corrective labour for a term of up to six months, or house arrest for a term of six months to two years, or imprisonment for a term of one to three years, with or without restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
2. Intentional infliction of minor harm to health committed under the aggravating circumstances provided for by Article 117(3) of this Code, or by a person who had previously inflicted intentionally serious harm to health, less serious harm to health or committed an act provided for in Article 108 or 109 of this Code, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of three to five years, with or without restriction of the rights regarding weapons.
Open Article 120 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎How counsel turns the issue into a case plan
For assault and bodily injury, counsel can identify the operative procedure and decision-maker, test the prosecution theory against each legal element, obtain lawful defence material, frame expert or disclosure requests, preserve objections and prepare the next motion, hearing or cross-border step. Advice must be based on the actual record rather than the page title alone.
Document injuries promptly, preserve video and reconstruct every movement rather than relying on the final injury alone.
Questions clients ask about assault and bodily injury
Does Article 117, 118 and 120 — Intentional bodily-injury provisions — automatically apply to Assault and Bodily Injury?+
For Assault and Bodily Injury, Article 117, 118 and 120 may provide a starting point, but a page title is not a legal qualification. Investigators and prosecutors must match proved facts to every element, part and aggravating circumstance. The qualification may be narrowed, expanded or changed after expert results, new evidence, a defence motion, prosecutorial review or a court decision. Articles 117, 118 and 120 address different classifications of intentional harm. Article 119 is deleted, so the medical classification, causation, intent and any claimed self-defence must be mapped to the current provisions.
Which factual boundary is decisive in a Assault and Bodily Injury case?+
In a Assault and Bodily Injury case, the evidence must distinguish the alleged conduct from a neighbouring offence, lawful conduct or a credible defence. That boundary is tested through the person's individual conduct, knowledge or intent, the legally classified consequence and every circumstance relied upon to move the allegation into a different article or aggravated part.
What evidence can prove—or undermine—the allegation of Assault and Bodily Injury?+
The focused record for Assault and Bodily Injury is not the same as for every offence. Priority material includes scene material, medical evidence, original communications, identification evidence and a complete event chronology. The defence should test provenance, completeness, authorship, lawful collection, chain of custody and whether each item proves the disputed element rather than merely repeating the accusation.
Can the article or charge for Assault and Bodily Injury change after the investigation starts?+
Yes. For Assault and Bodily Injury, Article 117, 118 and 120 may be a starting map, but expert results, quantity or value, injury classification, individual role, attempt or participation, a defence application, prosecutorial review or a court decision may support a different article, part or legal outcome.
What should be preserved immediately in a Assault and Bodily Injury matter?+
In a Assault and Bodily Injury matter, preserve the original chronology, procedural records and the topic-specific material before routine loss or alteration. Early advice is important because memories, recordings and physical traces can disappear quickly; preservation must be lawful and must not involve hiding, changing or coordinating evidence.
Primary sources for this guide
Legislation can change and official English translations may lag the Georgian text. Check the current consolidated version and obtain advice before relying on a deadline, offence classification or remedy.
Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia↗︎Official consolidated Criminal Code — current text & PDF↗︎Ministry of Finance Investigation Service↗︎