Georgian NGOs report torture and abuse of detained protesters
Protesters tortured in Georgia
In Georgia, representatives of three non-governmental organizations—Executive Director of Transparency International Georgia Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of the “European Orbit of Georgia” platform Nino Lomjaria, and Head of the Rule of Law Center Londa Toloraia—held a special briefing to discuss the systematic torture and inhumane treatment of protesters by law enforcement agencies.
According to representatives of NGOs, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs employed various means, including pepper spray and unidentified water-soluble substances, to disperse tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators.
- In some cases, dispersal began with direct pursuit and detention of protesters before issuing warning signals or deploying other methods.
- Riot police used water cannons and gas, depriving peaceful protesters of the ability to breathe or see properly, causing panic and creating a real risk of stampedes and chaos.
- Special forces indiscriminately detained protesters obscured by tear gas, capturing anyone who failed to leave the area in time.
- In certain instances, peaceful demonstrators who complied with dispersal orders were ambushed and detained.
Torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment of detainees
- Special forces applied physical violence against detainees during and after their arrest.
- Police vehicles were designed to facilitate beatings, which were carried out by groups of special forces officers.
- According to detainees, physical violence, inhumane treatment, and torture were conducted under the supervision of a single individual who directed how and where detainees should be beaten.
- The most frequent injuries were inflicted on faces, necks, eyes, ribs, and kidneys.
- Alongside the beatings, special forces robbed detainees, confiscating clothing, shoes, mobile phones, bags, wallets, glasses, crosses, and other personal belongings.
- In one reported case, special forces threw a gas capsule into a van filled with detainees and locked the door.
- Other instances included pouring cold water on beaten and robbed detainees.
- Detainees were insulted, threatened with death, rape, or bodily harm.
- According to a lawyer for one detainee, law enforcement officers transported him to the outskirts of the city, threatening to kill and bury him there.
- Security forces further humiliated detainees by filming and photographing acts of abuse, forcing them to utter degrading statements. In some cases, the head of Georgian special forces, Zviad Kharazishvili, personally recorded the beatings.
Transfer of beaten and tortured detainees to police stations and detention centres
- After being subjected to abuse by special forces, detainees were handed over to the patrol police, who first dispersed them to various police stations and later transported them to detention centres after 3-4 hours.
- Due to overcrowded detention centres, beaten and soaked detainees were left in vehicles for hours (on average, over three hours). In some cases, detainees were sent to detention centres in other cities.
- Most arrest reports filed by police before transferring detainees to detention centres contained false and inaccurate information.
- Despite visible signs of torture and physical abuse, detainees were not provided timely or adequate medical care.
- Detainees were denied the opportunity to meet with lawyers or contact their families before being placed in detention centres.
- After the 48-hour detention period, detainees appearing in court rarely encountered fair trials.
Fabricated reports and false testimonies
- Police-prepared administrative violation reports were generic and formulaic, often lacking specifics like the time of the alleged violation and using vague locations such as “Rustaveli Avenue” or “near the Parliament.”
- Police officers testifying in court frequently gave false statements, describing alleged violations with vague phrases like “he was shouting aimlessly, calling us slaves and Russians.” The testimonies were nearly identical in all cases.
- Witnessing officers struggled to explain the exact legal demands they made to the accused citizens alleged to have disobeyed.
- Video evidence, including footage from surveillance cameras capturing the events, was often excluded from cases.
- When multiple police witnesses were present, their testimonies frequently contradicted each other.
- Arrest records often contained false information, including the names of officers involved in the arrests. In many cases, the officers listed were not present at the specified locations.
- Some police witnesses admitted in court that the detainee was arrested on their orders but failed to provide a legal basis for the arrest.
- In numerous instances, judges and state representatives collaborated to deflect critical questions from defence lawyers and assist police witnesses in providing ambiguous answers.
The wave of protests in Georgia erupted after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on November 28 that the country was halting negotiations on joining the European Union.
