"Georgian Dream" is attempting to create a human rights crisis in the country—we are witnessing efforts at demonization, newly enacted laws, and physical violence. All of this serves as a foundation for building autocracy, said Rachel Denber, Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Program at Human Rights Watch, in an interview with Voice of America.

According to her, the changes already introduced to the Administrative Offenses Code are entirely "indiscriminate and arbitrary."

"We try not to compare Georgia to Belarus or Russia, and we should not. However, we are speaking in terms of numbers, and numbers are quite objective. It is important to recall that Georgia, which inherited the Soviet Administrative Offenses Code, had previously reduced the detention period for administrative offenses [from 90 days]. This was a very sound decision by the then-government because the rights of detainees in administrative cases are severely restricted. That is why I find it very telling that 'Georgian Dream' is now increasing this period to 60 days. This is part of a bigger picture in which 'Georgian Dream' is deliberately creating a human rights crisis in the country," said Rachel Denber.

She further stated that "Georgian Dream" is clearly trying to suppress opposition and critical voices.

"If I am not mistaken, under these changes, so-called preventive detention is now allowed, meaning people can be arrested without any legitimate reason. One might think they are simply a protester demonstrating against government actions, but the authorities could arbitrarily detain them. Why are they doing this? As I have said, the government is leading the country into a human rights crisis. Let's go back to what happened in the spring when the government passed the so-called 'foreign influence' law. With this law, they are clearly attempting to silence opposition and critical voices while completely purging Georgia of its highly active civil society sector," Denber stated.

According to Denber, her organization has documented cases of police violence, and based on the nature of these attacks, "it is clear that the assaults were coordinated."

*"We have recorded instances of police violence against protesters, activists, and civil or political activists. We began documenting this in early spring 2024, when the protests started. Protesters were brutally attacked not only while standing at demonstrations but also when they were near their homes or simply walking down the street, where they were targeted and harassed by certain groups. The nature of these attacks made it obvious that they were coordinated and that the perpetrators were acting under orders, not on their own. We have documented all these cases. We also contacted the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office to ask what concrete steps they were taking for investigation, and the response we received was worse than unsatisfactory.

Furthermore, we have documented ruthless attacks by riot police on people standing in the streets during protests. There is absolutely nothing that can justify this kind of violence. Nothing can justify the police dragging people away, pulling them behind police lines, and beating them mercilessly—even when they were already on the ground. The only purpose of these actions is punishment, retaliation, and to instill fear in others,"* Denber said.

She also addressed the issue of hunger strikers protesting in Georgia, including journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, stating that "the 'Georgian Dream' government has made it very clear that they do not want to listen to those who protest."

"Of course, hunger striking and expressing protest in this form is a personal right. If individuals believe this is how they should express their anger, that is their decision, and the government should not interfere. I believe the 'Georgian Dream' government has made it abundantly clear that they do not want to listen to those who protest against the current situation. The authorities have already decided the path they want the country to take. They are distorting reality and betraying the hopes of the vast majority of Georgian citizens who aspire to a European future," Denber concluded.