Council of Europe Commissioner releases statement on 17 May developments of Georgia

Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has released a statement on the 17 May developments in Georgia on Facebook. 

‘The violence which took over the streets in Tbilisi on the International Day against Homophobia in Tbilisi has shown that the measures taken by the Government were insufficient to ensure the safety of persons taking part in the LGBTI rally. The police were unprepared to cope with the large number of counter-demonstrators, a number of whom assaulted participants in the LGBTI rally.

The authorities, including the Prime Minister, have condemned the violence and expressed a commitment to punish the perpetrators. This is a positive first step. The authorities have a duty to intercept and respond to any further threats targeting members of the LGBTI-community, as well as to carry out a prompt investigation into the violent events and hold accountable those who incited and committed violent acts. Failure to do so would send a signal that violence and hate speech against LGBTI individuals can continue to proceed with impunity’, the statement says.

Interpresnews