Public Defender’s Office visits individuals detained during Tbilisi rallies against Govt’s’ decision to halt EU accession talks

The Georgian Public Defender’s Office on Friday said its representatives had visited 11 of the 43 individuals detained during a rally outside the Parliament building in Tbilisi between late on Thursday and Friday as they protested the Government's decision to suspend the country's European Union accession talks until 2028.

The Office said it had identified nine cases of “possible mistreatment“ during the arrests, including three involving journalists.

The body added two of the individuals  undergoing treatment following clashes between protesters and law enforcement could not be interviewed due to multiple injuries.

The Office said  six of the injured individuals its representatives had visited exhibited “clear physical signs of violence”, with one journalist suffering a fractured skull and others experiencing swelling and bruising around their eyes and faces.

In light of these findings, the Office has urged the country’s Special Investigation Service and Prosecutor's Office to conduct a “prompt and thorough investigation”,emphasising the need for “accurate legal classifications” of the alleged mistreatment.

The Office also urged the Ministry of Internal Affairs to cooperate in identifying “all responsible police officers, special forces members, and relevant officials within the Ministry” and  provide “all necessary information and documentation” to support the investigation.

Furthermore, the Office has stressed the importance of safeguarding the right to a fair trial for those arrested during the protests, urging courts not to solely rely on police accounts “in the absence of neutral evidence”.

It also said video footage showed police “chasing protesters away from the gathering point” in addition to responding to the main location of the rally, adding “this suggests a possible motive for retaliation and intimidation”.

The level of violence and brutality directed towards journalists, along with alleged deliberate damage to their equipment, highlights concerns about improper treatment of journalists and interference with their professional activities. The outspoken criminal activity by special forces is likely encouraged by the virtual impunity they enjoy”, the body said.

The absence of identification marks and body cameras on police officers has further fuelled this perception, it noted, urging the MIA to rectify the oversight issues - an opinion echoed by the European Court of Human Rights in previous rulings.

The Interior Ministry earlier today said law enforcement had arrested 43 individuals during the protests overnight for “disobedience to police orders” and “petty hooliganism”.

It added an investigation had also been launched under the criminal code for alleged attacks on police officers or public institutions and property damage “using dangerous means”. The body further reported injuries to 32 police officers, with 13 requiring surgery.

Twenty-two journalists and cameramen were reportedly assaulted during the rally dispersal, domestic media also reported.

The protests, already present before the Government’s announcement on Thursday, entered a new gear with the development, in which Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the decision to suspend the accession talks with the EU had been based on interest in “dignified” EU integration amid a “cascade of insults and blackmail by European politicians and bureaucrats”.