The report released by the DRI(Democracy Research Institute) accused the law enforcement agencies for violating legal provisions during the protest against the foreign agent law. The report was released under the heading “Protests under Observation.”
According to the DRI official they have observed the 76 rallies organized by civil organizations and political parties in Tbilisi and monitored the 32 court hearings linked to the protests.
It underlined the violations of international standards, the Constitution and citizens’ civil rights. Moreover the report states that the handling of the protestors was unprofessional. As per report most protests were peaceful and the protector did not resort to violence. However the physical force used by the law enforcement agencies was not justified in any case , as excessive force against peaceful protestors violates their rights.
The law enforcers did not warn the protestors before the crackdown and they also prevented the representatives of the media houses from performing their duties. Almost two hundred people were detained by law enforcement agencies without being informed about their legal fundamental rights.
However the protestors were maltreated by the officials during custody. Many were injured having facial bruises and broken teeth which showed the excessive use of force by law enforcers. It represents apparent retaliation against political opponents by a ruling regime.
According to the legal provisions the detainees have every right to meet a lawyer, but they were prevented from doing so. DRI report expressed deep concern that some organized groups have launched an intimidation campaign against protesters to threaten their family members. In some cases the caller used a foreign number to harass the people who were part of the protests as well.
The report in its conclusion blamed the ruling Georgian Dream(GD) party for the alleged violation and excessive use of force against the protestors. As per the report GD not only incited the violence but also ordered the police crackdown without any prior warning.
