GYLA Issues Broad Report on May 26th Events

Mariam Khurtsidze

Analysis of Human Rights Violations during and Related to the Dispersal of the May 26 Assembly – the report of Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) was presented in the hotel Holiday Inn several days ago by GYLA.

The report covers human rights violations occurred during the dispersal of the May 26th Assembly as well violations observed after the detention of the demonstrators. It also analyses the practice of mass detention of people related to the ongoing protest actions.

More specifically, the report assesses following issues: exceeding authority by police during the rally crackdown: the facts of taking lives of people related to the protest rally crackdown; hindering journalistic activity during the rally crackdown and improper treatment of the detainees.

According to the GYLA report, studying cases before May 26th showed that during this time people who directly took part in the protest rally or applied right of assembly otherwise or were in some kind of connection with the planned actions were massively detained.

The report also assesses the facts of detention of people who participated in the preparation and organization of actions planned in Tbilisi for May 21-25.

As the analysis of the facts showed the detentions of these people particularly intensified several days before May 21st. The facts indicated that their detention occurred in the moment when they applied right of assembly.

According to GYLA, the right of free trial of those who were detained before 26th was violated. Besides, both during the detention as well as in the temporary detention cells, facts of inhuman treatment were noted towards some detainees.

The report presents the legal analysis of deaths of Nika Kvintradze and Soliko Asatiani. According to the police, on May 27th on the roof of one of the stores near the Freedom Square bodies of two people were discovered. The reason was noted to be coming contact with electric wires. GYLA thinks that the official version of the investigation is disputable.

The cases of deaths of Vladimer Masurashvili and demonstrator Nodar Tskhadadze are particularly examined. According to the official version of Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the drivers of the leaders of Public Assembly Ivane Chighvinadze and Nikoloz Zautashvili are charged for their deaths. GYLA critically analyses the official version of MIA and concludes that these cases were not investigated properly.

Except for this resonant case, the report reflects another case of death. Particularly, according to GYLA, on May 26th during the protest crackdown the police severely beat the activist of Public Assembly Temur Kapanadze who received serious physical and emotional trauma as a result. Temur Kapanadze’s health state drastically disproved after May 26th. Despite the timely medical treatment, he died after 8 days due to the traumas received during the action.

GYLA calls on the government to carry out effective investigation on the facts of human rights violations presented in the report and impose the responsibility of those government officials who planned the operation of the crackdown and headed its implementation.

Considering the scale and level of human rights violations, the report notes that the state responded to the violations improperly and ineffectively.

The report is prepared in Georgian and English. It presents the illustrations which confirm the facts of grave violations of human rights.