The continuous protests that began on November 28, triggered by the official shift in the country's European course and the “Georgian Dream's” attempt to consolidate authoritarian rule, have entered their ninth day amid large-scale human rights violations. Yesterday, police forces unlawfully dispersed a peaceful gathering, arrested more than 50 individuals, and committed severe acts of inhuman and degrading treatment. In several instances, police forces effectively surrounded the protesters and acted with the apparent intent of facilitating mass persecution.

• Police Use of Ruthless Methods to Punish Peaceful Protesters

On December 6-7, the ninth day of peaceful protests, the Ministry of Internal Affairs brutally dispersed the demonstrators.

At 12:15 a.m., the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a statement alleging illegal actions by the protesters.[1] However, at the time of the statement's release, the overwhelming majority of protesters were demonstrating peacefully, rendering the decision to disperse the protest unlawful.

Following the statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, at 12:34 a.m., special forces moved to break up the rally.[2] Police forcibly detained numerous protesters and physically assaulted several others. Simultaneously, special measures were employed, including the use of water cannons and tear gas.[3]

Throughout the night, civil society organizations’ hotlines received reports of 51 detainees. [4]Among those detained were women, journalists, and both former and current politicians. Additionally, according to media reports, a 19-year-old man diagnosed with epilepsy was detained during the rally. Despite his mother’s urgent plea to special forces for his release due to his medical condition, her request was disregarded. As per the latest available information, the detainee was subsequently released upon submitting a written statement.[5]

It is concerning that special forces units were deployed not only in Freedom Square and the streets surrounding the Parliament but also near Republic Square.[6] This deployment resulted in Ministry of Internal Affairs forces encircling peaceful protest participants, restricting their ability to leave the area safely. Moreover, individuals returning home from Rustaveli Square encountered police units stationed in Republic Square, who appeared to engage in arbitrary detention and pursuit.[7]

As assessed by the Public Defender, the demonstration was peaceful at the time of its dispersal by law enforcement agencies, with no legal justification for the use of force or interference with the freedom of assembly.[8]

The demonstrators’ right to freedom of assembly and expression was harshly and brutally violated, as the protest remained entirely peaceful and non-violent.

Beyond the unlawful suppression of the protest, law enforcement agencies flagrantly disregarded procedural safeguards governing the use of special measures, further compounding the severity of the violations.

In accordance with the applicable legislation, prior to initiating a special operation, the responsible authority is obligated to issue an advance warning to the participants of the assembly and demonstration regarding the intended use of physical force and special measures. Additionally, they must provide a reasonable timeframe (not less than 30 minutes) for compliance with lawful instructions.

Contrary to this legal requirement, special forces emerged approximately one minute after the warning signals were issued and immediately proceeded to violently detain demonstrators. Protest participants were effectively denied the opportunity to leave the protest site safely. The use of water cannons was also unlawful, as it was preceded by the deployment of special forces on both sides of the area adjacent to the Parliament, resulting in the encirclement of protesters and restricting their ability to exit the protest site.

In conjunction with the deployment of special measures, law enforcement officers engaged in the mass, arbitrary abduction and detention of individuals, including citizens located far from the center of the unrest and merely returning home. Such actions clearly indicate that these measures were not aimed at ensuring public safety or preventing violations of the law but rather served as a tool for unlawful suppression.

Beyond the unlawful use of police force, a particularly alarming incident occurred on the morning of December 7, when unidentified armed individuals confronted demonstrators who had relocated to the coast following the dispersal.[9] Their faces are clearly visible in the released footage, making them easily identifiable; however, despite their actions displaying clear indications of criminal conduct, law enforcement agencies have thus far failed to respond appropriately.

• The ongoing practice of unlawful checks, stops, and demands for identification from citizens en route to a protest rally

As on previous days, the unlawful and systematic practice of mass checks targeting citizens proceeding toward a protest rally in metro station lobbies and adjacent areas was once again evident. Shortly after the peaceful demonstration began on December 6, law enforcement officers unjustifiably delayed individuals attempting to reach the rally, searched their belongings, requested identification documents, and subsequently recorded their personal information in special registers.[10]

Citizens protested against the unlawful checks and on-the-spot registration of individuals’ identities at metro stations, calling on law enforcement officers to cease obstructing the exercise of the right to assemble and demonstrate. This confrontation led to an escalation of the situation and the arrest of several individuals.[11]

Notably, patrol police officers conducting the checks at the scene were not equipped with body-worn cameras, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.

The Public Defender also addressed the unlawful police action, urging the Ministry of Internal Affairs to adhere strictly to established legal procedures when conducting police operations and to refrain from carrying out checks on citizens without a legal basis.[12]

The Law of Georgia on Police outlines specific and exhaustive circumstances in which law enforcement officers are authorized to request identification documents from citizens.  In this context, the indiscriminate and non-individualized demands for identification from individuals proceeding to a protest rally, coupled with the subsequent recording of their information by law enforcement, exceed the legal boundaries established by Georgian legislation. Such practices appear to be aimed at deterring the exercise of the right to assemble and demonstrate through intimidation.

• New Reports on the Systematic Inhuman and Degrading Treatment of Arrested Protesters

Since November 28, 2024, authorities have arrested more than 325 individuals during the protests, including minors, women, journalists, representatives of civil society organizations, and lawyers.[13]

From the earliest days of the mass illegal arrests of demonstrators, lawyers from the legal aid network of civil society organizations provided daily updates highlighting the systematic and inhuman treatment of those in custody. They noted that law enforcement authorities had severely beaten most of those arrested. All individuals suffered from concussions, multiple bruises, and hematomas, and struggled to move and speak.[14]

According to the detainees, law enforcement officers begin using violence at the moment of detention, immediately after ensuring no journalists are present. Before forcing detainees into minibuses, Special Forces officers savagely beat them inside the cordons, all while swearing and hurling verbal abuse. Afterwards, they pack them into previously cleared minibuses and continue beating them until they lose consciousness. According to the detainees, five or six Special Forces officers assault each person at once, mercilessly striking their faces, heads, and entire bodies, while cursing, spitting on them, and threatening to rape them with batons.[15]

According to the arrested protesters, police officers stationed outside the buses shouted and applauded as the sounds of torture emanated from within. They further reported that an older officer orchestrated the violence, ensuring the victims remained alive throughout the ordeal.[16]

Periodically, former arrestees disclose new details of the inhumane treatment they endured. One individual reported that, after prolonged, continuous beatings, his raincoat was drenched in blood.[17]

Moreover, they stated that special forces recorded the brutal beatings of detainees on video, forcing them to say the phrase “Glory to Khareba.” If the detainees refused, the officers would subject them to even more severe beatings. (“Khareba” is a well-known nickname for Zviad Kharazishvili, the head of the Special Tasks Department.)

As reported by architectural historian Nodar Aroshinadze in a media interview, the beating of detainees was routinely carried out in several episodes, during which special forces took turns inflicting violence. He stated that officers kicked detainees in the face and intensified the brutality whenever they attempted to shield themselves.

The mistreatment of detainees subjected to torture by special forces reportedly continued even after their transfer to the police department by patrol officers. According to Aroshinadze, the patrol officers subjected the detainees to severe verbal abuse, threatening to strip them, sexually assault them with batons, and harm their families in retaliation.- “They shouted at me not to get blood on the car,' he recounted. 'Blood was pouring from my nose, mouth, and head. They kept ordering me not to splash the car with blood and to lower my head. When I lowered my head, my bloody face rested on the back of the seat behind the driver. At some point, they handed me a tissue, saying, "Wipe the blood; it's all over the place."'[18]

As Traumatologist Vato Gvazava recalls, after the arrest, they beat him until he lost consciousness- to prevent him from shielding his body with his hands, they held both of his arms and continuied to strike him with kicks and fists.[19]

Another severely beaten 20-year-old detainee requested medical assistance for 35 hours. Despite his severe headache, persistent nausea, widespread body pain, and difficulty moving, the temporary detention department refused to transfer him to a clinic.[20]

The Public Defender also reported the same systemic violence. Having personally visited some of the detainees in pre-trial detention centers, he described their treatment by special forces as brutal. According to his findings, 71% of those visited reported ill-treatment, and 51% exhibited visible injuries.[21]

Furthermore, he concluded that the location, severity, and nature of the injuries rule out the possibility that the police employed only proportional force. This strongly indicates that the police use violence against citizens as a form of punishment. The Public Defender also noted that deliberate, severe violence intended to punish constitutes torture.[22]

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