The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch has issued a statement regarding the protests in Tbilisi since November 28, stating that police and other security forces have used excessive violence against mostly peaceful protesters.
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“In widespread and apparently punitive acts, security forces have chased down, violently detained, and beat protesters. Police also tortured and otherwise ill-treated them in police vans and police stations. Police were wearing riot gear or full-face black masks, with no identifiable insignia,” the statement said.
The human rights organization notes that it spoke to dozens of survivors of police violence who reported head injuries, including concussions, fractures of the nose, facial bones, ribs, and limbs, as well as scratches and bruises all over their bodies.
“The level of the authorities’ violence against largely peaceful protesters is shocking, blatantly retaliatory, and violates Georgia’s domestic laws and international norms,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The scale of the police ill-treatment of protesters and the failure of Georgian authorities to hold them accountable for it indicates they either authorized or condoned the violence,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
The rights group observes that authorities have used large amounts of tear gas, water cannons, and, at times, rubber bullets to disperse the protests, which began on November 28 and lasted for a week. Human Rights Watch stated that while there were sporadic and isolated instances of protesters throwing water bottles and fireworks at police in response to police violence, the protests were largely peaceful.
“Police chased down, encircled, attacked, and beat groups of demonstrators and dragged individual protesters behind police lines, where other officers would continue to punch, kick, and beat them with batons.The Special Investigation Service, a body charged with investigating law enforcement abuses, opened investigations into the “facts of exceeding official powers using violence and unlawful interference with journalists’ professional activities,” but no charges have been brought.
Georgian authorities meanwhile announced that they would award medals to the Interior Ministry officials whom the West had sanctioned for their role in the violent crackdown. Honoring these officials while investigations are pending shows contempt for the obligation to hold people accountable for the violence,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
The organization points out that Georgia is a party to several international treaties, including the European Convention on Human Rights, which obligates the government to respect the right to freedom of assembly, refrain from ill-treatment, and investigate violations.
Human Rights Watch believes that Georgia’s international partners should ensure an independent investigation into the post-election violence. Additionally, EU member states should implement a global human rights sanctions regime against officials responsible for the beatings and violence against protesters.
