GYLA: Police used special equipment against demonstrators several times, which was a gross violation of the freedom of assembly enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia

The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA) has released a statement saying that the police force used during the November 8 rally was illegal and disproportionate. According to the statement, the police used special equipment against demonstrators several times, which was a gross violation of the freedom of assembly enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia.

"On November 8, 2020, a rally "Defend Your Vote" was held in front of the Parliament of Georgia, after which some of the protesters moved to the Central Election Commission building. The police used special equipment against demonstrators several times, which was a gross violation of the freedom of assembly enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia. The police used water cannon against a small part of demonstrators in a few minutes after they arrived at the area in front of the Central Election Commission's building. It should be noted that the use of special equipment was preceded only by an attempt by a participant of the rally to break through the iron fence, while the main part of the demonstrators protested peacefully. In addition, before using water cannon, the police did not properly attempt to defuse the situation with lighter means. At the same time, the relevant authorities did not ask the protesters who tried to break the protective barrier to stop these actions. And they did not warn the demonstrators about the use of force. As it can be seen in the footage released, water cannons were used against peaceful protesters and media representatives as well.

Later, for more than an hour, law enforcement officers were calling on the crowd to disperse and warned that otherwise they would use force to disperse them. However, even during this period, most of the protesters protested peacefully and only a small part of them violated the law. However, the police again used water cannons against them. Restrictions on the rights recognized and guaranteed by the law on assemblies and demonstrations must be directed towards the attainment of the constitutional good, provided for by law, necessary for a democratic society, non-discriminatory and proportionately restrictive, and the restricted good must outweigh the harm caused by the restriction. The special equipment used by the police were not in compliance with the law, proportionately restrictive or necessary," reads the statement.