During the ongoing peaceful demonstrations, a number of violations have been committed against those detained since November 28, along with the illegal practice of confiscating items in their possession/ownership, – over 10 non-governmental organizations claim.
A number of detainees under the protection of lawyers of the NGO Legal Aid Network claim that after their arrest, they were deprived of their personal belongings, including phones, headphones, a laptop, a bag, house and car keys, ID cards, wallets, etc.
Some detainees claim that law enforcement officers asked them for their phone passwords, and if they refused to give them, they were subjected to violence. There were cases when mobile phones were confiscated from detainees in the police department, however, upon release, these persons were not returned their belongings.
“In most cases, the items were not seized from the detainees in accordance with the procedure established by law, and individual law enforcement officers illegally confiscated them or threw them away. Some victims claim that their personal belongings and phones were seized under threat to their lives and health; in some cases, the victims were able to determine the location of their phones, which the Special Investigation Service has also been informed about, however, there has been no response from the agency to date.
“For example, the phone of one of the victims was switched off in the city of Gori. In several cases, mobile phones were then found to be in administrative buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Parliament and other state agencies.
“The analysis of the above facts establishes that in a number of cases, the seizure of items was carried out for the purpose of unlawful appropriation, and this action has nothing to do with legal procedures.
“To date, the detainees have no information about when the confiscated items will be returned, and the whereabouts of certain items are unknown. It is important to conduct an objective investigation of individual cases with appropriate qualifications and punish those individuals who participated in the arbitrary and unlawful seizure and appropriation of items.”
Signatory organizations:
Georgian Young Lawyers Association
Civil Society Foundation
Transparency International – Georgia
Women’s Initiatives Support Group
Human Rights Georgia
Institute for Democracy Research
Georgian Democratic Initiative
Human Rights Defenders Union – Human Rights Center
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy
Partnership for Human Rights
Center for Social Justice
Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information
