MIA: 224 Arrested, 113 Police Officers Injured During Recent Protests
The Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA) said 224 people have been arrested in recent days of protest. The arrests were made on administrative charges of petty hooliganism (Article 166) and disobeying lawful police orders (Article 172). 21 police officers were injured on December 1-2, and a total of 113 since November 28.
MIA arrested two individuals: 17- year-old and 21-year-old on criminal charges of attacking police officer (Article 353) and destruction of property by setting fire (Article 187). The two arrested individuals face up to 7 years in prison. MIA says that one of them harmed police officers with pyrotechnics and another threw burned objects into the parliament building.
Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, has been also arrested on the morning of December 2, after the rally on Rustaveli Avenue had been dispersed. The charges he is facing are not yet known.
According to the MIA, the “rally participants provoked the officers”, also damaged the infrastructure of Rustaveli Avenue, erected barricades and several facilities.
According to MIA: administrative cases of 98 persons were submitted to the Tbilisi City Court, of which 74 cases were completed; of the 74 completed cases, 36 people were fined; administrative detention was applied to 34 persons. Court proceedings are ongoing, and some of those detained have received fines, administrative detention, and warnings.
CSOs that assist in the detained report “more than 200 cases” of reported detentions, with over 50 people detained during the night of December 1-2. Thirty-nine of them were visited by lawyers. Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, a watchdog and legal aid CSO, says complaints about physical and psychological violence and confiscation of personal items, including mobile phones, are routinely reported. They also say the courts ignore or dismiss complaints about police violence.
The peaceful demonstrations began on 28 November, following the announcement by Irakli Kobakhidze that GD was halting the EU accession process, and have continued for the next four days.
As protests continue across Tbilisi and other cities in Georgia, the MIA has stated that police forces will remain on alert to ensure public safety and uphold the law. “We call upon the organizers of the rally to protest within the limits set by the law, any illegal action will be followed by appropriate legal response from the police,” MIA said.
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Also Read:
- 29/11/2024 – MIA: 43 Protesters Detained, 32 Officers Injured Overnight
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- 30/11/2024 – President Zurabishvili: Resistance Movement has Started
- 29/11/2024 – MIA: 43 Protesters Detained, 32 Officers Injured Overnight
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