UN Calls for Probe into Police Actions

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that in Georgia “it appears there was disproportionate use of force by the police to disperse protesters” on May 26 and called for the investigation of the police actions.

“We fully support the call by the Georgian Public Defender for a comprehensive, effective and impartial investigation into the actions of the police. We stress that according to international law, the use of force shall be exercised to the minimum necessary and in line with the principles of necessity and proportionality. Attacks on physical integrity involving all sides should be promptly and duly investigated,” Rupert Colville, the spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told reporters in Geneva.

Referring to the list of arrested individuals released by the Georgian Public Defender, the UN human rights office said that all those detained should be “afforded their rights in accordance with international human rights standards.”

“In particular they must receive adequate medical treatment, be free from torture and ill-treatment, know the reasons for their arrests, be able to exercise fully their right to legal counsel and the right to challenge the lawfulness of the arrest and detention,” UN human rights office spokesperson said. “We call on all sides to refrain from violence in the future and to act in line with national legislation and international standards governing freedom of assembly.”

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