
Statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
March 9, 2023
Employees of the relevant unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were mobilized on March 8, in Tbilisi, in the vicinity of the legislative body and on Rustaveli Avenue, in order to protect public order and ensure the peaceful conduct of the rally.
The protest went on peacefully for several hours.
Later, one of the participants of the rally, during his speech, called the gathered people to picket the legislative body, after which the participants of the rally started massively blocking the entrances of the parliament and picketing the building. During the rally, police forces were stationed in the parliament building to prevent verbal and physical confrontations with the rally participants.
Despite the warning of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the participants of the rally went beyond the norms established by the law on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. They did not obey the legal requirements of the law enforcement officers. The gathered behaved aggressively and damaged the iron protective dams placed along the legislative body building, entrance doors, smashed the building’s windows, iron grills, threw stones, various objects and pyrotechnics into the parliament building and yard, which may have caused serious consequences.
Forms of protest on the part of the participants of the rally in the vicinity of the parliament building and on Rustaveli Avenue gradually became extremely violent.
The police forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs used appropriate coercive measures and special means provided by the Law of Georgia “On Police” in order to maintain order and prevent violent and aggressive actions of lawbreakers.
The police repeatedly tried to defuse the tense situation – they removed the aggressive persons from the territory surrounding the parliament and called on the participants of the rally to disperse peacefully, however, they continued their violent actions and did not obey the legal demands of the law enforcement officers. The people gathered on Rustaveli Avenue started the so-called policemen’s direction. Throwing “Molotov cocktails”, stones, wooden poles and other objects. The participants of the rally damaged, overturned and set fire to several vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, damaged a bus of the Special Tasks Department, a fire truck, facades of buildings located on Rustaveli Avenue, and smashed shop windows. Those who gathered on Rustaveli Avenue damaged material property owned by Tbilisi City Hall services, among others, they set fire to bins standing on the street, broke chairs and public transport waiting rooms.
The participants of the rally violated the public order and law and order throughout the night at different locations and resisted the police officers.
As a result of the violent actions of the protestors, about 10 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs received injuries of various degrees. Citizens were also injured.
The law enforcement officers arrested 66 people administratively in accordance with Articles 166 and 173 of the Code of Administrative Offenses on the facts of petty hooliganism and disobedience to the legal demands of the police.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has started an investigation in connection with the violations and violent incidents that occurred during the protest rally in the vicinity of the Parliament under Articles 353 and 187 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
Investigative activities are being carried out in order to determine, identify and arrest those persons who attacked the policemen and other violent acts in the area around the parliament building and on Rustaveli Avenue.
The employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as a result of operational measures and investigative actions carried out on March 7-8 of this year, on the facts of law violations that occurred during the protest action held in the vicinity of the Parliament, in particular, on the fact of the attack on the policemen, under Article 353 Prima of the Criminal Code of Georgia, one person In accordance with Articles 166 and 173 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, a total of 133 persons have been arrested.