Opposition Leaders: All Fines Imposed on Protesters Shall be Appealed

Leaders of the opposition have declared that all fines issued amid the protest for violating the restriction on movement after 22:00 shall be appealed.

Kakha Kozhoridze, one of the leaders of the Lelo party, said: “Georgian citizens were illegally fined GEL 2,000 for participating in a peaceful protest .We will not tolerate this. All receipts will be collected and sent to the court of first instance.”

Public Defender of Georgia released a statement noting that the Georgian constitution allows restriction of freedom of movement, but not of the right to assembly and demonstration. “Thus, it would be unconstitutional to use the Government Decree to restrict demonstration and freedom of expression,” reads the statement. The Public Defender called on authorities to respect the protesters’ freedom of expression and abstain from sanctioning them.

Transparency International Georgia, a local civil society organization, issued a statement saying that government and police actions “gravely violated” constitutional rights to assembly and manifestations.

In response, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) issued a statement: “Since the participants of the rally resorted to violent means and did not comply either with the instructions of the police or the COVID-19 regulations, the law enforcers used proportional force within their authority.”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs yesterday announced that all persons who violate the restrictions on movement and stay outside to protest after 22:00 shall be fined GEL 2,000. 

Despite the newly imposed restriction on movement due to the coronavirus pandemic, which entered into force on November 9, activists and opposition leaders have declared disobedience and intend to carry on with the demonstrations.