Georgia’s public ombudsman accused police on Tuesday (3) of torturing people arrested during six days of huge protests against the government’s decision to suspend European Union accession negotiations.
Levan Ioseliani, whose job it is to defend citizens’ rights, said he and his employees had contact with people subjected to the “most severe treatment” by police.
“In most cases, they suffered serious injuries to the face, eyes and head, which practically excludes the possibility that the police used necessary and proportionate force against them each time,” he said in a statement.
“The location, nature and degree of injuries create a credible impression that the police use violent methods against citizens to punish them. Intentional and severe violence for the purpose of punishment constitutes an act of torture.”
Reuters requested comment from the government and the ruling Georgian Dream party, but none were available at first.
The United States had already condemned the use of “excessive force” against protesters. But Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze repeatedly praised the police for their response, saying they demonstrated greater professionalism than police in Europe and the US.
The country of 3.7 million inhabitants has been plunged into crisis since last Thursday (28), when the Georgian Dream party announced that it was halting negotiations with the EU and renouncing any funding from the bloc until 2028.
Georgia has been one of the most pro-Western successor states to the former Soviet Union, but critics accuse the government of abandoning that path and bringing the country closer to Russia. The crisis is closely watched in Moscow, Brussels and Washington.
This content was originally published in Georgia: Human rights authority denounces “torture” against protesters on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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