CoE Commissioner Presses Georgian Prosecutors on Accountability for Protest Crackdown
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty has raised concerns over the progress in investigating the use of force by law enforcers against protesters last November and December, in a letter dated December 10 and addressed to Georgia’s Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze.
The Commissioner referred to his March 2025 memorandum, issued following his January visit in Georgia, which noted advancing investigations and convictions against some protesters but “no tangible progress in the investigations against law enforcement personnel.”
“I was informed that more protesters have been convicted since, yet still no law enforcement officers have been brought to justice,” O’Flaherty wrote.
The commissioner also said that during his January visit, he was “assured by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs that no water cannons containing chemical irritants had been deployed against protesters,” but “several officials […] have acknowledged that chemical substances were mixed into the water” since, apparently referring to recent remarks made by Georgian officials regarding BBC investigation alleging the use of dangerous chemical compounds against protesters last year.
He said the matter should be addressed within broader investigation by the Prosecutor of Georgia into the use of force by law enforcement against protesters last November and December, as it raised “important questions of legality, necessity and proportionality.”
Recalling the European Court of Human Rights’ case law on Georgia, the commissioner referred to previously identified shortcomings in similar investigations, including “lack of independence, failure to act with due expedition, inadequacy and lack of thoroughness and the inability of victims to properly participate in the proceedings,” as well as “shortcomings in the judicial proceedings brought against state agents” and “inadequate sentencing of perpetrators.”
In concluding remarks, O’Flaherty requested “updated information regarding the progress made by the prosecution authorities in ensuring the accountability of law enforcement officers for any cases of excessive use of force or any other human rights violations committed” in 2024.
Georgian authorities have faced growing scrutiny following the December 1 BBC investigation alleging the use of “WWI-era” toxic compound camite against protesters during last year’s pro-EU protests. The protests erupted following Georgian Dream’s announcement of halting EU integration. Authorities responded to protests by police force, including beatings, arrests, and dispersals with tear gas and water cannons.
Dozens of demonstrators have been tried and convicted on protest-related charges, but no police officer has been held accountable despite numerous documented abuses during last year’s protests.
Also Read:
- 02/12/2025 – Georgian Authorities Deny Use of Camite After BBC Investigation
- 27/05/2025 – CoE Commissioner Urges Georgia to Curb Police Abuse, Revise Legislative Changes
- 05/12/2024 – Watchdogs: Georgian Civil Sector Condemns Crackdown on Activists and Politicians
- 04/12/2024 – CoE Human Rights Chief Condemns Police Violence, Urges Investigations
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