Georgian Young Lawyers Association wins 20 June case at Strasbourg Court

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) has won its case related to the 20 June 2019 protests at the European Court of Human Rights’ Grand Chamber, the organisation announced on social media on Thursday.

According to GYLA, the Court ruled in favour of 26 applicants, finding violations of the prohibition of torture due to the lack of an effective investigation. The Georgian state was ordered to pay a total of €646,000 in compensation.

The case concerns the night of 20-21 June 2019, when Georgian authorities dispersed demonstrators using water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas. The protests were sparked by the visit of Russian Communist Party deputy Sergey Gavrilov and his attempt to preside over a parliamentary session from the Speaker’s chair in Russian, which triggered public outrage.