{"id":17807,"date":"2024-12-04T12:36:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T12:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/?p=17807"},"modified":"2024-12-05T11:44:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T11:44:48","slug":"georgia-end-violent-crackdown-on-journalists-and-peaceful-protesters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2024\/12\/04\/georgia-end-violent-crackdown-on-journalists-and-peaceful-protesters.html","title":{"rendered":"Georgia: End violent crackdown on journalists and peaceful protesters"},"content":{"rendered":"

PEN Belarus joins the\u00a0statement<\/a> of PEN International about violent crackdown on journalists and peaceful protesters in Georgia.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Georgian security forces\u2019 ongoing assault on peaceful protesters and journalists \u2013 including brutal beatings and arbitrary arrests \u2013 is of grave concern. We urge the authorities to uphold the human rights of protesters, to ensure a safe and enabling environment for members of the press, and to hold all perpetrators of torture and other ill-treatment to account.\u2019<\/em> Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International\u2019s Writers in Prison Committee.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a004 December 2024 \u2013 The Georgian authorities must urgently end their brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters and fully uphold the right to expression and peaceful assembly, PEN International and PEN Georgia said today, as protests continue to be met with police violence across the country. PEN International and PEN Georgia call for prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into all instances of force used, and accountability for unlawful use of force by police, including acts of torture and other ill-treatment. All those held merely for peacefully protesting must be immediately and unconditionally released.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0On 28 October 2024, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced<\/a> that Georgia would pause its accession to the European Union until 2028, in response to a European Parliament resolution<\/a> denouncing Georgia\u2019s parliamentary elections on 26 October as having \u2018numerous and serious electoral violations\u2019, which \u2018[could not] be considered as free and fair\u2019. The resolution notably called for the elections to be re-run within a year under international supervision. Thousands of pro-EU protesters subsequently took to the streets in Tbilisi, with protests spreading across the country. According to media reports<\/a> and human rights groups<\/a>, protests were violently dispersed by law enforcement officials, who fired water cannons and tear gas at protesters. Men wearing balaclavas were seen running into the crowds and beating individuals. Journalists reported<\/a> being deliberately targeted by security forces, with several brutally attacked and requiring hospitalisation. The Ombudsperson of Georgia called<\/a> for\u00a0 an end to \u2018revenge and intimidation\u2019 by law enforcement officials, denouncing<\/a> acts of torture and other ill-treatment.<\/p>\n

\u00a0PEN Georgia documented<\/a> the brutal beating of Zviad Ratiani, a poet and translator, by police on 29 November in Tbilisi. Ratiani \u2013 who suffered serious injuries, including fractures to his nose and back \u2013 was sentenced<\/a> to eight days of administrative detention by the Tbilisi City Court on 2 December on alleged charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying lawful police orders (Articles 166 and 172 of the Administrative Offences Code of Georgia). Also on 2 December, Georgia\u2019s Interior Ministry announced<\/a> that 224 protesters were being detained on administrative charges and three were arrested on criminal charges. Amongst those detained is Tornike Chelidze, a poet and teacher, who was severally beaten by police and sentenced<\/a> to a seven days\u2019 administrative detention, also on alleged charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying lawful police orders<\/p>\n

\u00a0The latest protests in Georgia erupted against the backdrop of increasingly repressive Russia-style legislation put forward in recent months by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has also overseen a violent crackdown on dissent. In September 2024, Georgia\u2019s Parliament adopted a Family Values bill<\/a> that notably prevents journalists from reporting on LGBTI issues and bans public gatherings that the law describes as \u2018promoting LGBT propaganda\u2019. A \u2018foreign agents\u2019 law adopted<\/a> in May 2024 despite mass protests marred by police violence compels organisations receiving more than 20% of annual funding from sources outside Georgia \u2013 including PEN Georgia \u2013 to register as \u2018organisations pursuing the interests of a foreign power\u2019 and face draconian reporting requirements.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Under international human rights law, states have an obligation to facilitate peaceful assemblies. Any use of force must comply with fundamental principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, precaution and non-discrimination, and those using force must be accountable for each use of force. PEN International and PEN Georgia urge the Georgian authorities to abide by their international obligations and to immediately put an end to police violence and investigate unlawful use of force. All those held for exercising their rights to freedom and expression and peaceful assembly \u2013 including Zviad Ratiani and Tornike Chelidze \u2013 must be immediately and unconditionally released.<\/p>\n

Note to editors:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0For further details contact Aur\u00e9lia Dondo,<\/strong> Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International:\u202fAurelia.dondo@pen-international.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PEN Belarus joins the\u00a0statement of PEN International about violent crackdown on journalists and peaceful protesters in Georgia. \u2018The Georgian security forces\u2019 ongoing assault on peaceful protesters and journalists \u2013 including brutal beatings and arbitrary arrests \u2013 is of grave concern. We urge the authorities to uphold the human rights of protesters, to ensure a safe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":17808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4201],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solidarity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17807"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17815,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17807\/revisions\/17815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}