GYLA: ECHR Grand Chamber ruling on rally crackdown in Georgia in 2019 important for whole country

The decision of the European Court of Human Rights’ Grand Chamber over the dispersal of demonstrators in Tbilisi in June 2019 is significant not only for the individual applicants but for the country as a whole, the chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), Nona Kurdovanidze, said on Thursday.

Speaking to the media, Kurdovanidze said when a demonstration is peaceful by its nature, the use of force and special means that may cause injuries to peaceful protesters is unacceptable.

“The Grand Chamber’s ruling is, of course, important not only in relation to the applicants whose rights must now be restored, but also for the entire country. Moreover, it carries precedent-setting significance, as the Grand Chamber examined the use of special means by authorities,” Kurdovanidze said.

“When a protest is peaceful in its very essence, the authorities cannot use special means against peaceful demonstrators - means that may cause them harm,” she added.

GYLA won the 20 June case before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, which found violations related to the dispersal of the 2019 protests in Tbilisi sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament.