Public Defender’s Office urges Special Investigation Service to study alleged improper treatment of transparency bill protesters by law enforcement

The Georgian Public Defender’s Office on Tuesday called on the country’s Special Investigation Service to conduct an “effective investigation in the shortest possible time” to “identify all violent law enforcement officers” during protests against a controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence in Tbilisi.

The Office said “not a single police officer” had been held responsible so far for actions during the protests, including the professionals whose faces were not covered “while committing criminal acts” and whose identification “should not pose special challenges”.

The comment came after six participants of the rally held on Tuesday were arrested, bringing the number of those detained during weeks-long protests to 150. The Public Defender said the lack of accountability for law enforcement would “encourage a sense of impunity”.

The body also expressed concerns over alleged mistreatment of activist David Katsarava, who had been visited by representatives of the Office in a clinic where he was undergoing surgery due to the “degree and nature of the injuries” related to fractured facial bones, sustained during the events.

• Georgian State Security Service claims unspecified groups “trying to organise provocations” at ongoing protest rallies against transparency bill

It also said the Public Defender had “constantly pointed out the police should use only necessary and proportionate force and act within the law”, and noted it was “disturbing to see violent actions which the law enforcement officers continued to use in many cases”. The institution called on police to “act in accordance with the law and not mistreat citizens”.

It noted cases of physical violence against reporters by law enforcement officers at the rallies, and noted interference in media work and violence against them was “extremely unacceptable” and required an “immediate response”.

The Office said its representatives had visited 16 individuals arrested at the most recent rallies and located at three detention centres throughout the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, with three indicating excessive use of force and mistreatment from the police.

The body also said Lazare Grigoriadis, an activist who had been sentenced to nine years in prison for throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at police officers and setting fire to a police vehicle during March 2023 protests in Tbilisi and was later pardoned by President Salome Zourabichvili, had notified the representatives of the body of injuries sustained during the new arrests.

Reports on the alleged violations committed by police officers have been sent to the Special Investigation Service to start an “effective investigation”, the Office said, adding it would monitor the inquiries.

It also said its representatives would visit “all other detained individuals to reveal and respond to facts of violation of their rights”.

• Georgian Parliament approves bill on transparency of foreign influence in final hearing

The protests are being held against the legislative piece which calls for the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

It requires groups “considered to be an organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power” to be registered in the public registry with the status and publicise their received funding.

The draft law was supported by 84 MPs in the 150-member lawmaking body on Tuesday, with 30 voting against.

President Salome Zourabichvili on Sunday said she would veto the bill, however the ruling party has enough votes to override her veto in the Parliament.