The UN Human Rights chief calls the use of force in the protests in Georgia “extremely worrying”

Urges protesters to exercise their rights peacefully

Dec. 2 () –

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, described as “extremely worrying” this Monday the “unnecessary” and “disproportionate” use of force by police officers in the context of the protests in Georgia against the Government of Prime Minister, Irakli Kobajidze.

“All Georgians across the political spectrum should be able to express their opinions about the future of their country freely and peacefully,” he said in a statement in which he urged the authorities to respect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. of the protesters, as well as to release those detained “immediately and unconditionally.”

In this sense, he recalled that, under international law, “an enabling environment” must be guaranteed to exercise the right to peaceful demonstration and that any use of force must “comply with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality , caution and non-discrimination”.

Turk has indicated that Georgian security forces have used pepper spray, water cannons and other chemical irritants against protesters and journalists. “All those responsible for violations must be held accountable and allegations of mistreatment of detainees must also be investigated,” he stressed.

According to guidance on law enforcement weapons published by the United Nations Human Rights Office in 2020, authorities must ensure that officers are “identified by name tags or badge numbers.”

“Those facing other charges must be guaranteed all of their rights to due process, presumption of innocence, legal assistance, as well as the right to challenge the legality of their preventive detention and adequate medical care, if necessary,” he added.

Likewise, he has called on protesters to exercise their rights peacefully after stones, bottles and fireworks were thrown at security forces, as well as damage to the Parliament building.

“I encourage all sectors of society to maintain a peaceful environment and resolve any disagreements through transparent and inclusive dialogue, and to use established legal procedures based on the rule of law,” he concluded.

Some of the main cities of Georgia, especially the capital, Tbilisi, have been the scene for several days of a series of nightly demonstrations against the Government of Irakli Kobajidze for its decision to suspend negotiations for accession to the EU, which would confirm his sympathy with the Kremlin.