Statement on the Incident in Karaleti

It should be considered that this acts maybe violation of Georgian criminal code with article of 142.2 which states violation of equality on the basis of political ideas, using work conditions that basically violated human rights. Also Georgian criminal code articles 156 and 154 concerning chasing people for their political ideas and illegally trying to create problems to journalist doing their professional work. Also article 161 of Georgian criminal code which is about trying to stop and interfere in meetings and manifestations using force, threat of force or work conditions.

Despite above said facts which show violation of criminal code, police only arrested two initiators, who later were accused by court for minor hooliganism and foreseen fine for this act.

It is alarming news that 4 person who were arrested by police and accused for hooliganism were victims of this illegal acts by our view. It is important to say that to stop this organized meeting of opposition, as it is supposed it was planned to show physical aggression and crate problems to activists.

It is important to mention that this isn’t first time when this opposition politician organization pre-election campaign failed from interfering using force. In other situations police was also missing when incidents happened. Only after several time only several people were caught by police who tried to interfere and were involved in this incident and also several objects of this violation fact were arrested from opposition side. All of them were imposed responsibility by administrative law for minor hooliganism (about this more detail information could be seen in an account created by nongovernmental organization “equitable elections and world democratic society)

We are worried also that during Karaleti incident opposition activists that were arrested for 15 days by administrative law were not given enough time to prepare and defend themselves. Court hearings were hold almost immediately after arrest, at night from 01 o clock till 05 morining). Also several persons who were arrested and while court hearings government didn’t make this public. As a result of this relatives found about arrested peoples accidently or by long time search. It is important to mention that court hearings were hold privately without public were rights protectors were unable to see if court hearings were hold justly.

Above said information that court hearings were hold half-privately, rises a well-grounded doubt how justly were administrative punishments used and secondly when there are facts about provocation of physical abuse during pre-election and also trying to not allow journalists to do their job why responsibilities were relieved. We think that governments such position is against creating normal pre-election environment. and this also doesn’t support to avoid in future this kind of cases.

We are troubled with government actions, mostly with police inactivity in Karaleti incident and also in analogical cases. Government positive obligation is to create safe environment during peaceful meetings and do everything to allow protection of rights from people who have different ideas. This obligation comes out directly from Georgian legal system and also from Human Rights Convention article 11. Also we think that public government figures that were involved in this incident doesn’t support safe pre-election environment and rises a big doubt about whole process of elections, which is unthinkable.

From above said information Human Rights Centre says:

To government structures, all people from government side who were involved in this incident should be punished with cruelty based on law, to avoid this kind of actions in future.

To government and security structures to manage safe environment to all political organizations during pre-election time.

To government and security organizations with their inactivity not to allow pre-election processes to go out of rode. If people are not punished this will increase unjust feelings in society.

To National Party and to all political parties don’t allow provocations from their activists during other parties pre-election time.

Also we think that political organizations shouldn’t try to justify their activists actions if they participated in violence.