Georgian Young Lawyers Association urges parties not to implement amnesty for June 20, 2019 incidents
GYLA has opposed granting amnesty to law enforcement it alleges perpetrated "mass violation of rights" during the dispersal of the June 20-21, 2019 rally in Tbilisi. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.
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The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) has urged political parties not to implement amnesty for alleged violations committed by law enforcement during clashes in Tbilisi on June 20-21, 2019, after a clause for amnesty was included in the proposal by the European Council President designed to solve the political crisis of the recent months in Georgia.
The organisation released its reaction to the proposal, made public on Sunday by President of the European Council Charles Michel, who - alongside European Union mediator Christian Danielsson - worked to help the Georgian government and the opposition end an impasse between them since the October 31, 2020 parliamentary elections.
In its statement GYLA said even though it had supported the signing of the proposal for compromise by the parties, any agreement would have to be "consistent with the Georgian constitution and international standards".
The lawyer group said it was "unacceptable to use amnesty or pardon" with regard to cases of "mass violation of rights" during the law enforcement's dispersal of the rally involving political opposition and citizens during the night of June 20-21, 2019.
Sparked by the presence of a Russian Duma MP at the Georgian parliament on the backdrop of Russia's ongoing occupation of two of Georgia's regions, the protests resulted in clashes that left a number of participants injured, with some granted the status of victims later that year. GYLA is representing the interests of protesters and reporters affected in the dispersal both at the national and European level.
The organisation's reaction to the proposal said using amnesty with regard to "serious violations of human rights by representatives of state" would be against Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which deals with torture and "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment".
Allowing amnesty for cases of the June 20-21 incidents would undermine individual accountability of alleged perpetrators as well as "public trust and respect for the law enforcement system", the GYLA statement reads.
The proposal - signed by the government and a number of opposition parties on Monday - mentions using "amnesty and/or by taking such steps as to produce an equivalent outcome" through the Georgian parliament "[I]n the interest of Georgia's political stability".
The amnesty is proposed with regard to two cases involving opposition leader Nika Melia - charged for his role in the violent clashes during the June 20-21 night - and Mtavari Arkhi channel co-founder Giorgi Rurua, charged with illegal possession of firearms in connection with the events of the night.
The political opposition in Georgia has alleged both Melia and Rurua to be political prisoners, with their imprisonment becoming one of the sticking points of the recent political crisis in the country, as the opposition had refused to enter the parliament formed as a result of the October 2020 elections.
The signing of the proposal mediated by the European partners has been celebrated by the government and its international partners as an example of compromise leading the country out of the impasse. In his reaction Michel called it an "achievement" that would "take Georgia forward along its Euro-Atlantic path".
European Council President Charles Michel has come to Tbilisi earlier today, shortly after the majority of Georgian political parties signed his proposal to solve the political tension in Georgia which began following the 2020 parliamentary elections. After a meeting with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, Michel said that he is happy Georgian political parties have come to an agreement and stated that ‘today marks the start of hard work that will take Georgia forward along its Euro-Atlantic path.’
Georgian Prime Irakli Garibashvili has responded to signing the EU-proposal by majority of Georgian parties to solve the current political tension in the country and stated that ‘now, everyone, should be focused on solving major challenges the country faces.’
The ruling Georgian Dream party has stated that one year ago on this day ‘an unfortunate mistake' made by the authorities was followed by public protest. In a statement released today the ruling party said the authorities acknowledged their mistake, while ‘the destructive opposition attempted to use this protest for their own political purposes and turned the wave of protest into a violent demonstration’.
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.
The Parliament of Georgia has started discussions of an amnesty bill concerning the June 2019 protests. The bill was initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party and was discussed during the first hearing last week.
Before the first hearing of the bill, the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition were unable to come to an agreement on the amnesty bill, initiated according to the EU-mediated agreement signed by the ruling party and the majority of political parties back in April 2021.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has launched hearings in cases concerning the excessive use of force by the state and the failure to conduct an effective investigation into the actions taken against journalists and protesters during the dispersal of a rally in June 20-21, 2019.
Activists affected by the law enforcement's dispersal of the June 20, 2019 rally outside the Georgian parliament are set to gather at the location on Sunday to protest against a bill that provides amnesty to police used in the action.