Georgia: Police round up protesters as new restrictions on public rallies take effect
Reacting to a new wave of arrests in Georgia, where police have detained over a dozen protesters after new restrictions on public gatherings were enforced, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:
“These arrests underscore an ever-deepening pattern of repression in Georgia. While states may impose certain restrictions on protests to maintain public order, the new amendments go far beyond what is permissible under international human rights law. Peaceful gatherings may temporarily disrupt traffic or cause inconvenience – this does not justify dispersal or arrest, which must be the last resort for non-violent protest activity.”
“The Georgian authorities appear determined to silence peaceful protesters through intimidation and punishment. The authorities must release all those detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”
