The Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre Expresses its Concern

The Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre Expresses its Concern

The Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre expresses its concern at the facts showing the escalation of violence in Georgia and of increased acts of Georgian law enforcement bodies overstepping their duties and using excessive force. The massive raid of the peaceful street protesters that took place on Rustaveli Avenue on the night of 30 July is yet another sad example of this. The sportsmen that started massive violations in the court-room should have been arrested on the spot.  Instead, a peaceful street manifestation was raided by Special Forces a few hours later. The street protesters were treated with excessive violence and many innocent people were arrested and remain in the pre-detention isolator. Patrol Police, plain-clothes security services and masked Special Forces participated in the street raid. During the raid the representatives of mass media sustained some bodily injuries whilst they were performing their professional duties. Mr. Irakli Gedenidze, a photo journalist from the newspaper “ALIA,” was severely beaten.  Mr. Zviad Nikoleishvili,a photo-correspondent of the agency of information “INTER-PRESS,” was also injured as was Nato Makhviladze, a journalist from the television studio “MZE,” among others.

The Special Forces did not let the journalists to take pictures of the raid and did not let them perform their professional duties.

The Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre expresses its concern over the increased occurrence of protest raids and the demonstrative use of force by the police. The HRIDC believes that the government tries to stifle the ever-increasing dissatisfaction in public and to frighten the society by acting so. The Centre demands the setting free of the arrested people and the punishing of those policemen that used force against the journalists.