16 people injured during June 20 rally dispersal refused victim status
67 law-enforcers and four protestors have been recognised as victims so far regarding Tbilisi protests. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Tbilisi City Court has refused to grant victim status to 16 individuals, including eight journalists, who received injuries during the June 20 rally dispersal in central Tbilisi.
The court says that currently there is no sufficient evidence to grant victim status to these individuals.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) appealed to the court on behalf of the individuals on October 11 2019, after the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office refused to grant them victim status.
GYLA says that the court’s decision is “ungrounded,” as “all of the individuals suffered obvious injuries, with several of them losing one of their eyes during the dispersal.”
The June 20 rally was sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Earlier today the same court granted Kakha Ghavtandze 2,000 GEL bail [$669], one of those detained for violence during the June 20 rally.
The man was released on bail after confession to the crime.
- 17 civilians and three police officers have been charged so far regarding the June 20 rally, including former Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili and opposition MP Nika Melia, GYLA says.
- GYLA reports that 67 law-enforcers and four protestors have been recognised as victims.
- The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into police actions during the rally dispersal.
- Then Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia [now the prime minister of Georgia] said in a recent TV interview that the rally became “violent” starting at 10 p.m. following “a systematic and organised” attack on the parliament building on June 20.
- Gakharia also said that he gave the order for the rally to be dispersed after some of the demonstrators decided to storm the parliament building.
- The dispersal left 240 injured and 305 detained.
Mukhran Pangani, who was detained and charged with violence during the June 20 rally in central Tbilisi, has been released on 2,000 GEL [$669] bail after confessing to the crime.
Levan Jikuri, who was charged with violence committed by a group at the June 20 rally in Tbilisi, has been released on 2,000 GEL [$672] bail after admitting to his presence at the demonstration and using a shield against police.
Tbilisi City Court has left former Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili in pretrial detention, declining the offer of his lawyer on the payment of 500,000 GEL ($168,000) for bail.
A Tbilisi City Court has denied bail to Irakli Okruashvili, the former Georgian Defence Minister under the United National Movement leadership. Okruashvili was detained on July 25 for incitement to violence during the clashes of June 20 in front of the parliament of Georgia. However, he denies the charges against him.
Three civilians who received injuries during the June 20 rally dispersal in central Tbilisi have been granted victim status, the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has reported.
Former Interior Minister and current opposition leader Irakli Okruashvili has been sent to pretrial detention in the high profile murder case of Buta Robakidze back in 2004, under the United National Movement leadership.
A plea bargain has been signed with three individuals earlier today after they confessed to involvement in group violence during the June 2019 protests in Tbilisi.
The European Court of Human Rights has accepted applications prepared by the Human Rights Centre (HRC), asking the Prosecutor General’s Office to grant plaintiff status to journalists injured during the dispersal of June 20-21, 2019 protest demonstrations near the parliament of Georgia.