Prepared by Messenger Staff
OSCE Urges Georgia to Respect Freedom of Assembly Amid Crackdown on Civil Society
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has called on the Georgian government to uphold the right to peaceful assembly and to stop targeting civil society groups and activists.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, ODIHR expressed concern over the continued detention, sentencing, and fining of peaceful demonstrators in Georgia. The organization reminded the government of its obligations under both the OSCE framework and international law to protect human rights and respect the freedom of assembly.
"The detention, sentencing, and fining of peaceful demonstrators continue in Georgia," the statement said. "The government has an obligation to fulfill its commitments within the OSCE framework regarding human rights, as well as its international obligations, which include respecting peaceful assembly."
ODIHR Director Maria Telalian urged the authorities to stop pressuring civil society and to allow activists to carry out their work freely.
"I urge the Georgian government once again to ensure that civil society and human rights defenders are not targeted and that their voices are heard, as their work is critically important for the growth of a vibrant democratic society," Telalian said.
Thirteen Individuals Charged in Connection with October 4 Protest in Tbilisi
The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has filed formal charges against 13 people accused of attempting to seize and block a strategic state facility and participating in group violence during the unrest in Tbilisi on October 4. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Amiran Guluashvili announced the charges at a briefing on Monday, saying prosecutors would seek pre-trial detention for all the suspects.
The Prosecutor's Office said the investigation established that the suspects, acting on calls from organizers, launched a coordinated assault on the evening of October 4 to seize the administrative building of the President of Georgia. They allegedly damaged protective barriers and entered the grounds of the complex, attacking law enforcement officers with iron structures and other objects and verbally abusing them. The Prosecutor's Office said their actions endangered the lives and health of police officers and resulted in significant property damage.
"Individuals participating in group violence deliberately dismantled, damaged, and destroyed by fire municipal and privately owned property located in the adjacent territory," Guluashvili said. "Due to the active actions carried out by government representatives to protect public order, the criminal plan to seize the strategic object - the administrative building of the President of Georgia - could not be carried out."
The 13 suspects were detained on October 6 on the basis of a judge's warrant. They have been charged under Article 19-222, Part 2(a) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which covers attempted seizure of strategic or particularly important objects committed by a group, and Article 225, Part 2, which covers participation in group violence. The charges carry combined sentences of up to 13 years in prison.
Earlier, five other individuals - Paata Burchuladze, Murtaz Zodelava, Irakli Nadiradze, Paata Manjgaladze, and Lasha Beridze - were detained on related charges of organizing and leading group violence, attempting to seize a strategic object, and calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, Burchuladze, Zodelava, and Nadiradze made public appeals ahead of the local self-government elections, urging citizens to take part in a revolution and to overthrow the government by force. On election day, they allegedly presented a detailed "action plan" at a rally on Freedom Square, instructing supporters to seize government representatives and storm the President's administrative building.
Following the call, the crowd moved toward the area near Orbeliani Square, where, according to investigators, participants set fires, damaged public and private property, and erected barricades to resist police. The Tbilisi City Court has since granted the Prosecutor's Office's motion for pre-trial detention for all five of the accused organizers.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Guluashvili emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and that authorities will continue to take "all necessary legal measures" against individuals involved in organizing or carrying out violent actions during the October 4 unrest.
