‘It has become increasingly clear that the police are operating as if enjoying an assurance of impunity from the Government’ - Denis Krivosheev

Responding to the persistent and widespread use of unlawful force by police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi after four consecutive nights of protests, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said:

“The Georgian authorities must end their violent crackdown, which has inflicted physical, psychological and legal harm on those exercising their right to protest. 

“Hundreds of protesters, dispersed and arrested by police, have faced violence that, in some cases, amounts to torture and other ill-treatment. 

“It has become increasingly clear that the police are operating as if enjoying an assurance of impunity from the Government, using sporadic acts of violence by protesters, often provoked by their own actions, as a pretext for repression.

“Lawyers and witnesses report that detainees are being denied timely medical care and access to legal counsel, while facing retaliatory administrative or criminal proceedings without due process. 

“This recurring pattern of violence and human rights violations - well-documented since last year’s protests - reveals the Georgian government’s strategy to deploy the full machinery of the state to punish and suppress dissent.

“All demonstrators detained solely for peacefully participating in protests must be immediately and unconditionally released, while all officials responsible for unlawful use of force - including acts of torture and other ill-treatment - must be held fully accountable.”

Four turbulent nights

Since 29 November, across four turbulent nights protesters in Tbilisi have blocked key streets to oppose the Government’s announcement that it would not proceed with EU accession talks until 2028. The police have responded by deploying water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets. The clashes have left many people injured, with footage capturing the brutal beatings of peaceful demonstrators and journalists. Some protesters have clashed with police, throwing Molotov cocktails and stones, prompting the authorities to arrest 224 people on charges of disobedience and hooliganism. Human rights groups have documented alarming instances of police brutality, torture and other ill-treatment, including the denial of medical care. Legal proceedings have flouted fair trial standards and no officials responsible for the abuses have yet been held accountable, highlighting a deep-rooted culture of impunity in Georgia.