Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for Georgian security forces to be investigated for the “brutal police violence” against largely peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets for anti-government demonstrations.
Police have clashed with protesters for over two weeks, detaining dozens and injuring scores of people who accuse the government of the ruling Georgian Dream party -- founded by Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili -- of moving the country away from the EU and closer to Moscow.
“In widespread and apparently punitive acts, security forces have chased down, violently detained, and beat protesters. Police also tortured and otherwise ill-treated them in police vans and police stations,” HRW said in a report on December 24.
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What's Next For Georgia's Presidential Crisis As Inauguration Day Nears
The political crisis erupted after Georgian Dream claimed victory in October elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said was marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation.
The rallies intensified after a government decision last month to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union.
The authorities have responded violently to the demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people in recent weeks and closely watching participants with Chinese-made surveillance cameras with facial-recognition capabilities.
Dozens of protesters – as well as journalists covering the rallies – have been beaten and detained by police were wearing riot gear or full-face black masks, with no identifiable insignia.
“The level of the authorities’ violence against largely peaceful protesters is shocking, blatantly retaliatory, and violates Georgia’s domestic laws and international norms,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The scale of the police ill-treatment of protesters and the failure of Georgian authorities to hold them accountable for it indicates they either authorized or condoned the violence.”
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on December 22 called on Georgian Dream to set a date for new parliamentary elections by December 29.
Zurabishvili has been locked in a standoff with the party since the October parliamentary elections, which the opposition has refused to recognize.
Georgian Dream has denied any election wrongdoing and has refused to consider new elections despite the almost daily protests.
Georgia received EU candidate status in December last year but ties with Brussels have been tense in recent months following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has ruled since 2012.
Critics say the legislation threatens media outlets and civil society groups and mirrors a similar Russian law used by the Kremlin to stifle political opponents and civil society.
While initially endorsed by Georgian Dream for her successful presidential run in 2018, Zurabishvili has been a thorn in the ruling party's side.
Although officially a nonpartisan president limited to a ceremonial role, Zurabishvili has criticized Georgian Dream for its increasingly authoritarian stance.
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Anti-Government Protesters Dance Through Tbilisi
Earlier this month, an electoral college dominated by Georgian Dream chose Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former soccer player and right-wing populist, as Georgia's next president.
His inauguration is supposed to take place on December 29, though the 72-year-old Zurabishvili, whose term ends this year, has said she isn't going anywhere.
The 'foreign agent' law, which mandates that organizations receiving significant foreign funding register as foreign agents, took effect on August 1, sparking significant backlash from international and domestic actors.
The government last week pledged to amend the law, though it did not give details of the changes it would enact.