10 Law Enforcers Involved in Dispersal of Rally Suspended From Duties

10 law enforcers who were involved in the dispersal of the rally on 20-21 June have been suspended from duties, - Mamuka Chelidze, a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, announced at a briefing today. 

He said that protesters gathered on Rustaveli Avenue tried to occupy the Parliament building and the police were forced to take relevant legal measures. However, as he noted, the General Inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is conducting an investigation into alleged violations committed by individual law enforcers during the dispersal, with signs of criminal acts having been identified in the actions of two law enforcers. 

"The relevant materials will be sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office for further reaction. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia is ready to cooperate with the investigation and submit all the materials obtained during the investigation process to the Prosecutor General's Office,” Chelidze said.

The visit of three Russian MPs to Georgia within the framework of a session of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy held at the Parliament building was followed by severe protests by the public and opposition MPs on June 20, especially due to the fact that Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov sat in the parliamentary Speaker’s chair.

The protest turned into clashes with police after protesters tried to enter the parliament building. The police used tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets against protesters.

Protesters threw bottles full of water, stones and other things at the police that resulted in their detention.

The protests have already resulted in the resignation of Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the Parliament and MP Zakaria Kutsnashvili, an organizer of the session of Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy in Georgia.

By Ana Dumbadze