The Internal Affairs Deputy Minister, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, has denied the allegation that MIA personnel employed rubber bullets during the operation targeting Russian Law violations.
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"The police are currently within the confines of the parliamentary premises. We have not ventured outside and are endeavoring to safeguard the area from unauthorized internal intrusion. We employed specialized measures sanctioned by law, namely pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannon.
Rubber bullets, despite being within our legal prerogative for utilization, were not deployed.
The participants of the event are employing various items, including tear gasses and uncertain origin gasses, which are not available for sale in any open retail chain. We will certainly investigate and ascertain how these tools came into the possession of these individuals. At this stage, we categorically deny and affirm that no Ministry of Internal Affairs employee has utilized a rubber bullet," stated Darakhvelidze during an emergency briefing convened at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A rubber bullet struck several rally participants outside the parliament, among them Tsotne Koberidze, a member of Girchi - more freedom and a member of the Tbilisi City Council. A 25-year-old man, wounded by the rubber bullet and bleeding near his eye, was transported to the hospital.
"As I was informed, the eye was spared. A rubber bullet struck the eyebrow region. He mentioned that while assisting children who had fallen during the gas release, he was shot,” stated Kakha Demurishvili, the father of the injured individual.
As per the Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia, in tandem with other special measures, the rally will see the utilization of rubber bullets. The organization voices heightened concern over the proximity-based use of rubber bullets, targeting vital organs (such as the face or abdomen), and/or aiming at individuals who do not pose a threat.
For the second consecutive day, authorities have been targeting civilians protesting against the Russian law outside the parliament. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has deployed pepper spray, water cannons, and tear gas against them. Today, it's alleged that special forces fired rubber bullets at the demonstrators. The majority of rally participants are young people, including schoolchildren.
On May 1st, the parliament passed the Russian Law, triggering widespread protests, with a vote of 83 in favor and 23 against in the second reading. Prior to the vote, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze conducted a briefing, during which he stated that Georgian Dream is not inclined to compromise or retract the Russian Law.
