In Georgia, policeman detained in case on dispersal of protest rally

An employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for Georgia is detained in the case on abuse of power while dispersing a protest action at night on June 21, the General Prosecutor's Office reports today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 20, the protest actions began in Tbilisi after Sergey Gavrilov, a member of the Russian State Duma, took the chair of the speaker of the Georgian parliament at a meeting of the parliamentary Orthodox assembly. That fact provoked dissatisfaction of some MPs who were encouraged by opposition supporters. Law enforcers dispersed the protesters in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi. The Georgian Ministry for Public Health reported about 240 hospitalized people, and the MIA ‑ about the detentions of 305 protesters, some of whom were subjected to administrative arrests.

"In the early morning on June 21, in Rustaveli Avenue, a MIA's staff member exceeded his authority while using physical force against a person detained for an administrative offense," reports today the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia as quoted by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The Georgian General Prosecutor's Office has reported that the policeman's actions were recorded by a video surveillance camera. A case has been instituted against the policeman for abuse of power with the use of violence or weapons. The sanctions of the article provide for from five to eight years of imprisonment.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 15, 2019 at 07:03 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.