The non-governmental sector published a joint legal assessment of the dispersal of last night’s rally.
“On April 30, 2024 and in the early hours of May 1, 2024, the crackdown by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on a peaceful protest against the ‘Russian Law’ was illegitimate and disproportionate; the physical force used amounted to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment; and the practice of administrative detention has again become an instrument for the excessive restriction of freedom of assembly”.
“The decision to disperse the rally was illegal on two grounds: (1) there was no reason to disperse the demonstrators due to their blocking the entrances to the parliament building; (2) Even if there was such a basis, there was no legal prerequisite for the dispersal of the entire rally.”
“According to public sources, tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray and water cannon were used to break up the protest. The state violated the rules for the use of active special equipment”.
According to the statement, a number of facts of alleged ill-treatment by law enforcement officers were revealed, which manifested in physical and verbal retaliation against the demonstrators. The special forces beat a number of people at the rally, they physically assaulted them, including young people, women, journalists and opposition politicians.
The NGOs call on Georgian Dream to refuse to adopt the “Russian” law.
The statement is signed by the following organizations: Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA); Transparency International – Georgia (TI); Social Justice Center (SJC); Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI); Rights Georgia (RG); International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED); Human Rights Center (HRC); Partnership for Human Rights (PHR); Civil Society Foundation (CSF); Democracy Research Institute (DRI); Safari; Kvareli Euroclub; Courtwatch; Civil Movement for Freedom.
Related story: Rally to be held again in parallel with discussion of the Russian law
