After visiting the protesters detained at the Dighomi temporary detention center last night, Georgia's Public Defender, Levan Ioseliani, described the violence inflicted on them by special forces as "atrocity."
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“Physical violence is an understatement. People recount how special forces mercilessly beat them while being taken to a car during their arrest.
During this time, they were subjected to such extreme physical violence that I saw a person whose entire face was practically covered in bruises. This is an atrocity. There is no justification for treating people this way,” Ioseliani told journalists.
According to the Public Defender, 11 out of 13 detainees in the detention center reported experiencing physical violence. Levan Ioseliani called on the Special Investigation Service to conduct an effective investigation into these cases.
“The delay in the investigation has resulted in even more people becoming victims of violence during these protests, unlike previous demonstrations, including those a year ago.
If this process is not stopped, we will see even greater violence at future rallies, and eventually, someone could lose their life under such conditions.
It is everyone’s responsibility, but especially the responsibility of those who carry out detentions, investigations, and police operations, to ensure such incidents do not occur,” said Ioseliani.
Levan Ioseliani also urged police officers not to abuse their authority during detentions. “The law must be upheld first and foremost by law enforcement officers. Someone may have acted wrongly, but we must address that person within the framework of the law - not by lynching them or punching them in the face. Such actions are unacceptable. I saw this with my own eyes when I entered the detention center. Most injuries are on the face, but detainees report having injuries elsewhere as well,” noted the Public Defender.
On November 28, illegitimate Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that, in accordance with the decision of Georgian Dream, Georgia would not put the issue of opening negotiations for accession to the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028 and would refuse EU budget grants. The protests, which drew thousands of participants, were dispersed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during which police forces used violence against peaceful demonstrators and journalists. Over two days of protests, 150 citizens were detained.
