Georgia’s ombudsman reports increased use of physical force against detainees at 2024 rallies

Georgia’s Public Defender Levan Ioseliani on Wednesday reported an increase in the use of physical force against detainees at rallies in 2024 compared to 2023, in his report On the State of Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in Georgia in 2023 to MPs. 

While the document primarily addresses the previous year, Ioseliani highlighted “significant concerns” regarding 2024 and noted that law enforcement officers had employed physical violence against participants protesting against the Foreign Influence Transparency Law. According to the Ombudsman, the use of physical force by law enforcement officers had increased this year.

“The year 2023 was marked by gatherings of different scales and contents. This year, we have also witnessed cases of disproportionate and, in some instances, illegitimate measures to break up gatherings. The practice of administrative detention of assembly participants has persisted,” Ioseliani said at the committee meeting.

“Unfortunately, in 2024, unlike in 2023, the majority of the administratively detained persons I visited had physical injuries. This indicates that law enforcement officers used physical force against detainees more this year,” He added.

The Public Defender also reiterated his call for the Parliament to reject the Foreign Influence Transparency Law in its current form, suggesting that the law’s legitimate goals could be achieved through amendments to various legislative acts.

In April-May 2024, more than 200 individuals were arrested at rallies against the law, with 193 of them detained under the administrative code and nine under investigation for criminal offences. Nearly half of the detainees reported improper treatment by law enforcement officers.