Tbilisi Police Department Director says 6 individuals detained for assaulting police officer, damaging property during transparency bill protests

Sulkhan Tamazashvili, the Director of Tbilisi Police Department, on Thursday said law enforcement officers had arrested six individuals for assaulting a police officer and damaging property during recent series of public protests over the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence in the country’s capital Tbilisi.

Tamazashvili said political leaders, manifestation organisers and participants had “exceeded limits established by the law” on assemblies and demonstrations “on a number of occasions”, and added protesters had attempted to “break into the Parliament building with violent actions, threw various objects and constructions as well as tear gas of unknown origin, and attacked police officers on the spot”.

Participants of the rally threw various heavy objects, including bottles, stones, asphyxiant and tear gas and pieces of iron in the courtyard of the building of the Special State Protection Service, where employees and vehicles of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were mobilised”, he noted.

The public clearly observed how participants of the protest damaged video surveillance cameras located on the administrative building and various items belonging to the Tbilisi City Hall”, he added.

The official said seven employees of the Ministry were injured, with one police officer still undergoing treatment after a surgery.

Tamazashvili said the investigation had established that during the protests on April 16, one of the detainees had “thrown a blunt object in the direction” of law enforcement officers, injuring an employee of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry, while one of the arrested individual damaged a vehicle belonging to the Patrol Police Department.

Surveillance cameras of the Public Safety Command Centre of the Ministry were damaged by two of the arrested individuals  during the rallies on May 1-2, while another detained individual damaged iron gates of the Parliament and threw a stone in the legislative bodys’ courtyard, injuring a firefighter of the Emergency Situations Management Service, Tamazashvili said.

He added one of the individuals had damaged an external surveillance camera installed on the building of the Special State Protection Service, and noted “all appropriate investigative actions” were ongoing to identify and arrest other individuals who had “committed illegal actions during manifestations”.

The official also said the Central Criminal Police Department had launched an investigation under three articles of the Criminal Code of Georgia regarding violent actions of citizens during protests starting April 15.

He noted the Ministry would carry out “intensive investigative actions, including the study of all appeals, public speeches and callings, as well as video materials containing signs of a criminal offence”, and added the investigation body would interview organisers of the protest, political leaders and those who might be related with these cases.

Tamazashvili called on the participants of the protest to “observe public order, not to exceed the norms defined by the law on assembly and demonstration and refrain from violent actions”.