The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association monitors human rights violations on a daily basis and considers that systemic and violent repressions against the civilians shall be assessed as the crime against humanity, which can provide grounds for applying to the International Criminal Court  

The parliamentary elections held on 26 October 2024, marked with significant violations, and the public announcement of the “Georgian Dream” on 28 November 2024 to suspend negotiations with the European Union, sparked large-scale protests across the country.

By the evening of 28 November 2024, the coordinated repressive measures against thousands of Georgian citizens in various cities became evident during spontaneous protests. Unlawful dispersal of peaceful protesters has been taking place every single day, which cannot be considered as a police measure, rather due to its scale, it constitutes an organized crime. These actions are accompanied by widespread arbitrary arrests and targeted persecution. Numerous evidence and witness statements confirm that the special punitive units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs surround protesters, block their escape routes, and indiscriminately beat them, among whom, women, minors and persons with disabilities have been subjected to severe treatment and deliberate violence.

Together with the protesters, members of the media, including journalists representing international outlets, are being subjected to severe ill-treatment. Targeted use of active special measures, physical violence, and verbal abuse are directed against media representatives. The scale of deliberate harm inflicted on journalists reveals not only an intent to interfere with their professional activities but also reflects the interest of punitive groups in preventing the dissemination of information about the unlawful and violent dispersal of the demonstration.

All of the above-mentioned is accompanied by the inaction of the investigative authorities, the persecution and pressure exerted on public servants; the encouragement and praise of punitive forces of the MIA by the Government officials; the continuous government propaganda, the promotion of anti-Western ideology, and the demonization of protest participants;

Considering the scale of increasing repression and systematic violations of human rights, the current developments might constitute a crime against humanity prescribed under Article 7 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court. In particular, acts of torture are perpetrated through widespread and systematic attacks directed against the civilian population. Also, there are instances of persecution against the civilians based on political and discriminatory grounds, along with other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body and/or to mental or physical health. 

In addition, there is no independent mechanism remaining within the country to effectively investigate this crime. On the contrary, there are grounds to believe that the state institutions are directly coordinately involved in commission of the mentioned crime, which can also be confirmed by the following facts:  

• The Ministry of Internal Affairs, despite the publicly available footages of torture, refuses to enumerate the police officers involved in the dispersal of the manifestations with distinguishing marks; 

• As of today, the Special Investigation Service has not identified any responsible individuals; as of today, the public has not been duly informed regarding the content of the investigative and procedural steps taken by this institution; as of today, no criminal prosecution has been initiated against the police officers, who committed violence against the protesters and/or journalists;

• The courts are delivering the blanket decisions, without considering individual circumstances and, through administrative sanctions, they are punishing unlawfully arrested protesters and victims of torture.

  
  

Taking into account the current reality, GYLA is considering the possibility of applying to the International Criminal Court, as well as addressing other international mechanisms; GYLA will establish a coordinative format allowing all interested parties to engage.