Levan Ioseliani, the Georgian Public Defender, has responded to the police using “special means” to break up a “peaceful assembly” on Tuesday during protests in Tbilisi against the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence. 

Ioseliani’s office emphasised freedom of peaceful assembly was protected by the constitution and said the United Nations Human Rights Committee defined "violence" by participants of demonstrations in cases where death, serious damage to health or property was expected.

Late at night the Public Defender visited Levan Khabeishvili, the Chair of the United National Movement opposition party, at a hospital following his nose surgery after “physical abuse” by police officers. 

Kakha Chelidze, the Clinical Director of the hospital, said Khabeishvili had a fracture of the nasal bones, adding he was issued a “strict recommendation” to stay at the hospital.

Ioseliani also called on law enforcement bodies not to go beyond the scope of the legislation when exercising their power and urged them not to use force against peaceful participants of the rally.

It is important that acts of verbal or physical aggression or violence by individuals or a small group of individuals do not invalidate the freedom of assembly of people who continue to behave peacefully. In such cases, any kind of intervention should be aimed at responding to the violent actions of specific individuals, not at breaking up the entire assembly”, the Ombudsman’s office said.

Participants of the rally began dispersing around 9:30 pm, with local media reporting police use of water cannons and tear gas. A part of the participants marched towards the Government Administration, where they clashed with the police.

Special law enforcement forces used pepper spray, water cannons and tear gas against protesters for several hours, with dozens injured before receiving first aid on the spot. A number of protesters were also arrested.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said it had informed the protesters, who it said were trying to block entrances of the Parliament during a plenary session, about blockading of entrances of administrative bodies and disruption of their activities being forbidden.

A part of the participants of the rally, who continued the protest near the Public Service Hall in the capital, blocked a road, dismantled railings and chairs set up for reconstruction of the bridge over the street outside the venue and blocked a carriageway.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Tuesday issued a statement calling on the Ministry to “stop breaking up the peaceful protests with disproportionate use of force, [and use of] violence against young people who come [to the rallies] with bare hands”. 

The second hearing of the draft law, which calls for the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad, will continue on Wednesday at the Parliament.

The bill, reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party after its retraction following protests last year,  has been met with criticism from the opposition, the domestic NGO sector and a part of Georgia’s foreign partner states and diplomatic representations. Its first hearing was passed on April 17 by the legislative body.

Organisers of rallies against the bill said the protests would continue on Wednesday, with activists from other parts of Georgia set to join the demonstrations in the capital. 

agenda.ge