Georgian Public Defender, representatives visit detained protesters in Tbilisi, regions

Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani and his representatives visited 22 individuals detained during public protests over the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence outside the Parliament in the country’s capital Tbilisi between Tuesday and Wednesday, the body said on Wednesday.

Ioseliani and the representatives of his Office visited those in administrative detention in Dighomi and Avchala districts in Tbilisi, as well as in the city of Zugdidi in western Georgia.

The body said its representatives would continue to visit arrested protesters, including in municipalities.

• Deputy Interior Minister says 63 detained, 6 officers injured during transparency bill protests

They also visited Levan Khabeishvili, the Chair of the United National Movement opposition party, and party member Sopo Japaridze, who were hospitalised with injuries received during the rally. Both politicians have already been discharged from the clinic. 

• Health Ministry says 11 individuals, including 6 police officers, hospitalised following transparency bill protests

The Special Investigation Service on Wednesday said it was investigating incidents of alleged use of excessive force against participants of the rally.

The body also said it was receiving reports of incidents through a hotline, from temporary isolation cells, and from the Public Defender's Office.

The bill, reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party after its retraction following protests last year, calls for 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.

Its reintroduction has been met with criticism from the opposition, the domestic NGO sector and a part of Georgia’s foreign partner states and diplomatic representations.