The Government Has Changed, but Beatings Remain the Same

The Government Has Changed, but Beatings Remain the Same

According to the International Norms everyone has a right to organize a peaceful meeting and express himself. The 19th paragraph of the Georgian Constitution grants its citizens similar rights, but people are limited  by the new government that has come into power after the velvet revolution and  by the special teams of police equipped with weapons, that are subordinate to the government itself.

Citizens of Georgia have been using this right for a long time and as a result many important changes have been made in our history. People realized that peaceful demonstrations are the best way to bring problems to the government’s and society’s attention. Just demands are being opposed by violence in today’s Georgia.  Law enforcement bodies shamelessly humiliate the most important thing for every one of us – human rights. The police do not even show pity on women. Clubs are being hoisted against demonstrators in the country who are fighting for the freedom of the speech. Law is being broken by its own defenders.  Who is responsible for the corruption of law enforcement bodies?

After “The Rose revolution” peaceful demonstrations assured everyone of its huge power. It should be taken in to consideration that this truly massive action ended bloodlessly. This is a serious subject of pride for the new president, Mikhail Saakashvili. Despite the fact that the previous government wouldn’t have suffered much in dispersing this demonstration, Shevardnadze didn’t take this step. But, after the new government came to power, none of the protests have ended without violence. The government is fighting with clubs against those people, who were supporting the revolutionists on those cold and rainy autumn nights. They are being beaten by sticks  from the upper echelons today. Law enforcement bodies that are accustomed to illegality won’t get out of this habit soon. The situation of today’s police can be well expressed by an old Georgian saying: “Don’t make an unaccustomed man accustomed to something and an accustomed one to the ordinary.” Though the new government assures us that it will do its best to eradicate illegality, sometimes it is pushing police to commit crimes. Not long ago the president didn’t restrain from making acute statements about taking up arms against the prisoners in case of “need.” Similar appeals provoke law enforcement bodies against legal activities.

After the November revolution, people have held many protests with different demands, but these demonstrations, in contrast to the autumn’s occasion, were dispersed by special teams of police. We don’t need to strain our minds in order to recall one such incident. It is enough to mention the peaceful demonstration that was dispersed by force by the Interior Ministry’s special team, being headed  by Temur Mgebrishvili, on  July 1st. The hunger-strike of the people suffering after the earthquake and the protest against cooperative house building, continued for three days in front of the municipality building. The protesters demanded from the government half the amount of the needed money, 2 million GEL, in order to provide for suffering families. At first this amount had been reduced to 375 thousand GEL and later it removed all together. Protesters were beaten with clubs. There were women among the sufferers. It’s clear, that Temur Mgebrishvili and his team have violated both the Georgian Constitution and International Norms. But, nobody has been made responsible for it. The offenders were just given a “reproach.” Will it be of any use for the country that is trying to build democracy, just to  “scold” criminals?
 
Temur Mgebrishvili isn’t a new may in this job and he should probably have looked through our Constitution.  It should be noted that this incident isn’t the only one in his career. He has  had much experience in dispersing peaceful protests before. On January 28, street traders began a protest in Tbilisi against the decision of the government regarding the prohibition of street trading. The Mayor’s Office offered to move street traders to new markets, which were apparently unacceptable to them.
The demonstration was dispersed by a special group of police that was headed by Temur Mgebrishvili. Allegedly, he beat one of the women demonstrators. Three men were injured and needed medical care. Three more of the demonstrators were detained by the police. Nobody has been made responsible for this incident either. The demonstration which was held in front of the State Chancellery with the same demands was also dispersed on January 31.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the complete list of peaceful demonstrations that have been dispersed in Georgia after “The Rose Revolution.” Police dispersed a number of peaceful demonstrations held with different demands. 

On January 11, 2004, police dispersed by force a demonstration in Chiatura. On January 28, 2004, special police forces violently dispersed the demonstration of street traders in Tbilisi. The excessive violence used in the arrest of Old Calendarist Priest, Basil Mkalavishvili, on March 12, 2004, also illustrates this phenomenon. On June 9, 2004, the special police forces dispersed with the use of excessive violence a protest action in the village of Krtsanisi and detained two demonstrators. Many people were injured during the dispersals. Nobody has been made responsible for this incidents.

As we can see, human rights are being violated by its supposed defenders. In this world, police exists in order to protect people and keep order. In Georgia law enforcement bodies and criminals have become synonymous. Every hasty step, taken by the leadership, ruins the reputation of policemen. Every example clearly shows that police are violating human rights in the most flagrant way. Everyone must be aware that people aren’t a herd. We know our rights and we must make responsible everyone who violates them. Offenders must be punished, no matter what official status they possess, because all men are equal before the law. So it’s high time for everyone to think over their own behavior. It is time to put aside clubs and respect the rights of each other.
                                                                
                                                              Nana Naskidashvili