On April 19, Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri is in the Parliament in interpellation. The interpellation was to focus on the Ministry’s work against domestic violence and femicide, as well as drugs, but has been overshadowed by the topic of recent protests against the Foreign Agents Law and the alleged beating and detention by police of an opposition MP who is legally entitled to immunity.
Salome Samadashvili, a member of the opposition Lelo for Georgia party, addressed the Minister during his speech in Parliament, pressing him over the detentions and reported beatings during the protests, including of Irakli Kupradze, the Lelo for Georgia party’s Secretary General. Following warnings, MP Samadashvili was forcibly expelled from the plenary hall by the order of Speaker Papuashvili.
The session continued against the backdrop of heated exchanges, switching of microphones for the opposition deputies and sharp criticism by the opposition of the actions of the MIAs during the protest rallies against the “Foreign Agents” Law.
Rallies against “Russian Law”
Speaking of the recent protests against the “Foreign Agents Law,” the Minister claimed that “the public saw how the peaceful rally turned into the violent actions since the day one. While the protest was taking place in a completely peaceful situation, some of the participants became aggressive towards the law enforcement officers, threw various objects, including stones, bottles, poured paint, verbally and physically insulted the police officers, and did not obey their legal demands.”
The Minister claimed that five police officers were injured during the protests, with two of them hospitalized because of the “heavy injuries.” According to him, in total 40 protesters were detained on administrative charges.
Gomelauri alleged that “certain forces” used “all kinds of methods” to reach their “goal” of escalating the situation.
The Interior Minister was grilled by the opposition over the treatment of the protesters by police. The MPs particularly singled out Zviad Kharazishvili, the head of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who has been accused of directing violent crackdowns on different protests, including on the current ones.
During his speech, opposition Strategy Aghmashenebeli MP Giorgi Vashadze attributed the responsibility on the Minister for the beatings and detentions of the protesters. He also commented on MP Elisashvili’s case, saying “you [Minister Gomelauri] have set up punishment squads in the Ministry of the Interior, and these punishment squads are assaulting members of Parliament on your personal orders.”
MP Vashadze said Minister Gomelauri “is the number one guardian of the Russian law in Georgia” and called on the police not to obey “the illegal orders” and “to take the side of the people.”
Beating of MP During Rally
In the beginning of today’s Parliamentary session, the opposition MP Tamar Kordzaia asked the Minister to comment on MP Elisashvili’s case. Minister Gomelauri limited his comment to saying that the incident is “unfortunate.” Later during the interpellation he returned to the topic, adding that “I am sorry. What happened is very bad. The investigation has been launched. I do not want to make assessments…Let’s wait.”
Interpellation Questions
During the interpellation, the Minister read the responses to the eight questions posed by seven opposition MPs, which had been previously submitted in written form. The questions focused on a range of issues including the Ministry’s response to delayed response to domestic violence and violence against women; inter-agency cooperation against the problem; the Ministry’s policy towards its employees who commit the violence against women and domestic violence; the activities of witness and victim coordinators; the activities of the Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring Department; and the Ministry’s measures and efforts to combat the drug crimes.
Also Read:
- 17/04/2024 – Photo Story | Riot Police Use Pepper Spray to Break Up Protest Against “Foreign Agents Law,” Arrest Protesters
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)