Human rights watchdogs call on police not to use force against demonstrators
Opposition politicians say they will sit at the negotiation table with the ruling party after their demands to dismiss the CEC chair and hold repeat parliamentary elections are met. Photo: Tornike Mandaria/RFERL
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Local non-governmental organisations Human Rights Education and Monitoring Centre (EMC), Transparency International Georgia (TI) and International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) call on the interior ministry not to use police forces against peaceful demonstrators.
EMC has stated that police started to use water cannons without informing the demonstrators who had gathered in front of the Central Election Commission (CEC) which is against the law.
Based on international standards, the measures like tear gas or water cannon, which pose high risk of harm, can be only used in case of mass violence, when no other measures are capable to counter the violence”, EMC stated.
It further noted that the video footage live streamed by various media outlets prove that there were no such preconditions on the ground. Therefore, police had no legal reason to disperse the demonstrators with water cannons.
- Interior Ministry denies using tear gas, says police used 'proportional force' against demonstrators
EMC calls on the Georgian government and the interior ministry not to use ‘disproportionate force’ against the demonstrators; it also calls on the political parties to spare no efforts to ‘de-escalate the political processes’ and to start negotiations.
Photo: EMC/Facebook
TI Georgia has also claimed that police used water cannons without informing the demonstrators and started to warn them only after their previous act caused anger among the public.
The watchdog has also urged that the authorities should act in favour of ‘high public interest’ and give demonstrators ability to exercise their right to protest 'peacefully'.
ISFED has also expressed its concern over the usage of ‘disproportionate force’ against the demonstrators in front of the CEC, claiming the protest has been peaceful.
Meanwhile, opposition politicians, who refuse to take their parliamentary mandates and demand to hold repeat parliamentary elections, said they will stay at the CEC overnight.
They have also announced that despite the curfew which takes effect on November 9, they will continue 'permanent rallies' until all of their demands are met.
Police have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators who marched from central Rustaveli Avenue to the building of the Central Election Commission (CEC) after ruling Georgian Dream party leaders rejected opposition demands to dismiss CEC chair Tamar Zhvania and hold repeat elections.
Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria condemns the illegal acquisition and release of audio recordings allegedly involving Georgian opposition politicians, which were published by Ukrainian media outlet Obozrevatel on November 6.
Opposition politicians and their supporters have gathered in front of the parliament of Georgia on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding repeat parliamentary elections be held. Claiming that the Central Election Commission (CEC) has falsified the results in favour of the ruling Georgian Dream party, opposition politicians are calling on the public to ‘protect their vote’.
Georgian police have detained two individuals for offering a bribe to the head of the Isani No. 5 district election commission (DEC) on behalf of a political political party, asking him to step down from his position and claim that the recent parliamentary elections were rigged.
The protest rally in front of the Central Election Commission (CEC) has come to an end after police used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. Opposition United National Movement (UNM) member Nika Melia has called on the protesters to leave the area for now and gather again at 6 p.m. at Rustaveli Avenue tomorrow.
During the protest rally on November 8, police detained 19 individuals for 'violating public order and disobedience to a rightful command of the police.’
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has responded to the opposition’s election-related rally yesterday and stated that ‘every process seeking to take matters to the street, like what we saw yesterday, must be, on our own initiative and that of our strategic partners, transferred onto a legal and political platform.’
In a joint statement Transparency International Georgia (TI), the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) say that although Georgia’s parliamentary elections were a clear setback for the country and the worst elections held under the Georgian Dream government, they believe that there is still a chance to find a way out of the political impasse through dialogue.
The Georgian Dream ruling party has called on opposition parties not to follow radical political groups, return to a constructive mode of action and prepare for the second round of majoritarian elections.
Four opposition parties which overcame the 1% mandatory threshold in the October 31 parliamentary elections - European Georgia, Girchi, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Lelo for Georgia - have issued a joint statement earlier today confirming they will continue their ‘peaceful protest against the rigged elections’.