Participants in the Rustaveli protest reported that their bags and backpacks would be checked.
Police searched bags and backpacks of people who had come to the Georgian parliament building for the 470th day of continuous protests. According to protesters, security forces were interested in tents.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on March 11, a protest demanding the release of political prisoners took place outside the Georgian parliament building for the 469th consecutive day. Those convicted of participating in the protests are required to admit guilt in order to petition for early release, their relatives said at the protest.
Supporters of Georgia's European integration, carrying national and EU flags, gathered today on the pedestrian section of Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament building for the 470th consecutive day.
Protesters reacted to the publication of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism's conclusion with continued demands for the release of political prisoners and new elections. The conclusion confirms that the Georgian authorities are complicit in torture, inhumane treatment, the use of chemical weapons, election fraud, unlawful arrests for political reasons, the introduction of repressive laws, and authoritarian actions against political opponents.
The conclusion calls on Rome Statute member states to appeal to the International Criminal Court (The Hague Tribunal) regarding the systematic torture and inhumane treatment of people in Georgia. The report intends to investigate the use of prohibited chemicals by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons against Georgian citizens. The report also emphasizes that the 2024 parliamentary elections were rigged and calls for an investigation into the falsifications. Opposition politicians, speaking at the rally, called the report “an international verdict on the Georgian Dream regime,” Publika reports.
At the end of January, the United Kingdom and 23 other OSCE countries initiated the creation of an expert mission in connection with the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia within the framework of the Moscow Mechanism. The mission’s representatives were tasked with assessing human rights violations in the country from 2024. The Moscow Mechanism is a method for monitoring the implementation of commitments undertaken by OSCE participating States in the field of human rights and democracy, adopted in 1991. It allows for the formation of special missions from among independent experts to resolve identified problems on the territory of a participating State, according to the OSCE website. The Moscow Mechanism is used in cases of serious human rights violations, humanitarian disasters, and crimes against Humanity.
Meeting participants held signs reading, "You've been snared by the Moscow mechanism," "The Hague awaits Kotsov (members of the Georgian Dream - Caucasian Knot note)," "You won't escape The Hague," "A tent is not a weapon of violence," "Solidarity for queers," and "Glory to the heroes," according to posts by photographer Mo Se and Georgian media on Facebook*.
Police officers near the parliament building checked people's bags and backpacks. "They're searching everyone who has a bag or backpack near the parliament building. According to protesters, police are searching for tents to prevent them from bringing them into the area adjacent to the parliament building,” Tbilisi Life reports.
The "Caucasian Knot" reported that today police dismantled the tents of protesters in Tbilisi, which had been pitched near the parliament building for many months. Activist Darejan Tskhvitaria claims that her tent caught fire last night. She is certain the fire was started deliberately.
Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces carried out violent dispersals of the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Thousands of people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" prepared a report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".