The Legal Issues Committee of the Parliament supported the amendments planned to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations in the first reading.
The members of the majority expressed their support unanimously.
The Chairman of the Education and Science Committee, Givi Mikanadze, presented the bill.
According to him, the amendments to the law do not prohibit setting up a tent, however, they define the specific grounds in which cases it is prohibited to do so.
According to Mikanadze, the said bill also establishes the scope of action of law enforcement agencies, in particular, each specific step that must be taken by law enforcement agencies.
According to the decision of the Bureau of the Parliament, the Parliament is considering the planned amendments to the Law on “Assemblies and Demonstrations” in an accelerated manner.
The ruling team plans to tighten the law and introduce new prohibitive norms regarding the arrangement of temporary constructions during gatherings and demonstrations.
According to the draft, the participants of the assembly and demonstration will be prohibited from setting up temporary constructions if their arrangement: poses a threat to the participants of the assembly or demonstration or other persons; prevents the police from maintaining public order and protection of security; causes disruption of the normal functioning of an enterprise, institution or organization; is not related to the holding of an assembly or demonstration.
In addition, according to the draft law, “in order to avoid distortion of the appearance of the public space”, the participants of the assembly or demonstration are prohibited from setting up a temporary structure if the assembly or demonstration is not significantly hindered without its arrangement.
Violation of these new prohibitive norms will result in confiscation of the object and a fine of 500 GEL or confiscation of the object and administrative imprisonment for up to 15 days, and if the violator is an organizer – confiscation of the object and a fine of 5000 GEL or administrative imprisonment for a term of up to 15 days.
