The Centre for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (EMC) is responding to the violent confrontation that took place on September 27^th, 2020 between political party activists in the village of Nakhiduri, Bolnisi Municipality. EMC calls upon the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor's Office to conduct an independent, effective and timely investigation into the incident, and further requests that political parties de-escalate the situation and conduct the pre-election process in a peaceful environment.

As reported in the media, a verbal and physical confrontation took place in the village of Nakhiduri on September 27^th between the activists of the Georgian Dream Party and the United Opposition - Strength in Unity, regarding which The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has launched an investigation under Article 126, Part 1, Subparagraph "b" of the Criminal Code (Group Violence).

It should be noted that the representatives of the parties involved in the incident spread contradictory information about the beginning and causes of the conflict. According to Goga Meshveliani, the majoritarian candidate of the Georgian Dream in Bolnisi municipality, their activists were physically confronted by opposition activists, which further aggravated the conflict. In contrast, United Opposition - Strength in Unity claims that local opposition member Arif Yusupov was attacked by the Georgian Dream activists in an organized manner, inciting protests from Yusupov's fellow villagers.

The interviewed members of the local community explain that on September 27^th, more than 30 people along with the brother of Georgian Dream majoritarian candidate Goga Mishveliani, arrived at a local teahouse armed with clubs, and, their argument soon developed into physical violence, damaging the teahouse infrastructure, and guns were fired several times. This was followed by a confrontation between the locals. According to them, the teahouse where the violent confrontation took place is a public place for the villagers, and is not a gathering place for supporters of a particular political party. Supporters of both the opposition party and the Georgian Dream, along with apolitical members of the local community meet in the teahouse. As a result of the confrontation, a few villagers who are not involved at all in party activities and do not consider themselves supporters of any political party were also injured.

According to the members of the local community, Nakhiduri (formerly Arakhlo) is a village of ethnic Azerbaijanis, where, in recent years, a significant portion of the population has been supporting representatives of the opposition party. They claim that the activists of the ruling party find this irritating and it is this, which causes an escalation of conflict in the pre-election period. According to locals, Georgian Dream activists carried out a similar attack in a number of ethnically Azerbaijani villages in Bolnisi during the pre-election period, and just a few weeks prior a channel TV Pirveli journalist was openly threatened in the same village. The locals believe that such cases of violence aim to intimidate and punish the population, causing an inevitably negative impact on democratic processes.

EMC believes that, considering the conflicting positions expressed by the parties involved in the incident, it is important to carry out an independent, effective and timely investigation into the violent incidents identified in the village of Nakhiduri on and prior to September 27^th. Responding to such incidents is fundamental for the peaceful and democratic conduct of the pre-election process. Such cases of violence have a damaging and destructive effect on the participation of the population in the political process, and it can increase alienation and the distrust of political and legal systems. It is completely unacceptable to transfer political polarization and antagonism to micro-social levels and incite social anxiety and controversy in local communities. Such practices damage the social fabric of our society and substantially undermine the public reserves of trust and respect.

Considering all the above mentioned, EMC requests the following actions:

The Ministry of Internal Affairs

• Immediately conduct an independent, effective and timely investigation into the incident that took place on September 27^th in the village of Nakhiduri;
• Promptly measure the possible risks of violence and confrontation during pre-election political rallies and ensure their effective prevention.

Prosecutor’s Office

• Provide an effective supervision over the investigation into the incident that took place in the village of Nakhiduri on and prior to September 27^th; identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
• Ensure the timely and independent investigation of crimes related to the pre-election process and proper public awareness of their progress.

Political Parties

• Refrain from any manifestation of violence and threats in the pre-election activities and do all in their power to ensure that their activists and supporters conduct their pre-election activities in strict compliance with the law.

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