Amnesty International official condemns Georgian authorities’ crackdown on protesters

Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Denis Krivosheev,  has criticized the actions of Georgian authorities for a crackdown on protesters in Tbilisi against the foreign transparency bill. 

Krivosheev accused the government of behaving as if it held the exclusive right to determine when citizens could exercise their right to protest. He condemned the deployment of special forces to “disperse and arbitrarily arrest” demonstrators, labeling the authorities’ actions as “brutal reprisals” against peaceful protesters.

Krivosheev described the police intervention as a “punitive operation,” stressing the urgent need for impartial investigations into instances of alleged excessive force.

Emphasizing the fundamental right to peaceful assembly, Krivosheev called on the Georgian government to fulfill its international obligations in protecting human rights. He urged accountability for those responsible for the crackdown and demanded that the authorities respect citizens’ rights to express dissent peacefully.

Amnesty International also reiterated its opposition to the proposed legislation titled “On transparency of foreign influence,” warning that it could further restrict freedoms and undermine the activities of independent civil society organizations.