NGO activists demand to investigate police clashes with opposition in Georgia

On December 17, the Georgian NGO "Centre for Human Rights Study and Monitoring" called on the Prosecutor's Office to investigate a clash between the opposition and the police on December 16.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 16, the inauguration of Salome Zurabishvili, the new President of Georgia, took place in Telavi. Oppositionists planned to hold a protest action in Telavi and took cars to go there, but were stopped by the police. Clashes occurred between the police and the protesters.

Investigation into clashes between the police and the opposition in the Kakheti Region should be carried out by the Prosecutor's Office and not by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), which is an interested party, notes the NGO in its statement (translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent).

"The full assessment of the incident requires details and confirmed factual circumstances currently unavailable," the NGO notes in its statement.

According to NGO, it is clear from the available information that there were restrictions on the right to hold meetings and demonstrations and that could be related to the arrival to the inauguration ceremony of delegations from different countries of the world and related security measures.

In its statement, the NGO also notes that it is still not clear whether the alternative routes to Telavi were really open for oppositionists and local residents and whether those roads were free for traffic.

The NGO has also noted that the MIA did not inform the opposition in due time about the alternative roads to Telavi and created artificial obstacles.

The Prosecutor's Office should determine the legality of the police actions and the circumstances in which protesters and policemen were injured, the NGO's statement reports.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 18, 2018 at 05:54 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.