Peaceful demonstration, right to assembly protected in Georgia “just like in Europe” - Parliament Vice Speaker
Talakvadze called on the public to be “very cautious” of the groups organising the rallies and then trying to escalate the peaceful demonstration into a confrontation. Photo via Parliament of Georgia
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Peaceful demonstration and the rights to assembly and expression have been protected in Georgia “just like in Europe”, Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, said on Thursday in his comments on the rallies against the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence.
Talakvadze noted there had been “attempts” by the radical opposition and organisers of the rallies to use peaceful protesters for escalation, to engage in “violent acts”, emphasising that despite the attempts the law enforcement officers had acted in compliance with the law - ensuring the public order and protecting the peaceful demonstrators.
In an interview with the Imedi TV channel, he explained that a few incidents, which had happened during the rally, would be investigated and all questions regarding them would be answered by relevant authorities.
“Yesterday [‘s rally] showed us once again the difference between our government and the previous [the United National Movement party] one, under our [Georgian Dream party] government, expressing an opinion, taking a critical position, gathering, demonstrating, if all of this is peaceful, are protected and no one is persecuted for it, [unlike during the previous government] the police do not attack their citizens, they don’t shed blood”, the Parliament Vice Speaker noted.
Talakvadze called on the public to be “very cautious” of the groups organising the rallies and then trying to escalate the peaceful demonstration into a confrontation.
Domestic opposition parties, non-governmental organisations, media outlets and citizens on Wednesday gathered outside the Parliament building in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi to protest the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, with the legislative body approving the first reading of the draft law earlier today.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday claimed the domestic opposition had engaged in a “paradox” by holding a public protest in capital Tbilisi this week to “demand less sovereignty”, in comments on the rallies against the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence.
The Georgian Public Defender’s Office on Thursday said it would ask the country’s Special Investigation Service to launch an investigation into alleged “improper treatment” of Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Citizens opposition party, by law enforcement during protests against the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence on Wednesday.
Paweł Herczyński, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday said violence was “unacceptable” in comments on the ongoing public protests against the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence.