The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia: UN experts condemn “repression” against protesters Human Rights
“We are witnessing daily violence by state security forces against peaceful protesters, mass arbitrary arrests, as well as a smear campaign by the government and its state-controlled bodies to stigmatize and intimidate protesters, especially youth, civil society representatives and human rights defenders,” the experts said.
Large-scale protests have erupted in cities and rural areas of Georgia since Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on November 28 that Georgia would suspend its efforts to join the European Union. The government has responded harshly, with daily images of masked police violently attacking peaceful protesters, including with water cannons and tear gas. The protests have been largely peaceful, experts said in a statement, but there have been reports of some violence by protesters, mostly in response to police use of force.
According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, 357 protesters have been detained as of December 10, 2024. Of these, 225 reported police brutality and 157 reported injuries. Protesters are being tried in criminal and administrative courts. Attacks carried out by state security forces remain completely unpunished, the experts say.
“We have watched with growing concern as the Georgian government has restricted freedom of expression, association and assembly and targeted human rights defenders, in particular since February 2023, when the authorities first introduced a draft law on ‘foreign agents’,” the experts said. “However, the authorities now appear to have moved even closer to a full-scale crackdown on dissent.”
“We are gravely concerned that the crackdown may escalate further ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for 14 December. The government must immediately reverse course and pursue national reconciliation while ensuring full respect for human rights,” the experts concluded.
The UN experts work on a voluntary basis; They are not UN employees and do not receive a salary for their work.