The Legal Aid Network hotline continuously receives information about detainees. Our lawyers in various cities locate the detainees, meet them, document the information provided by them, and protect their rights in courtrooms and investigative bodies.

Between November 28 and December 1:

• Over 200 reports of detentions have been received via the hotline. Among the detainees are minors, women, journalists, artists, individuals working in the cultural sector, NGO employees, and lawyers. During yesterday's protest alone, the police detained more than 50 individuals, with information on 39 of them already reported through the hotline. These numbers continue to rise. So far, lawyers have met with 90% of the detainees in various detention facilities, and visits are ongoing. The process is further complicated by delays in obtaining timely information about the detainees' whereabouts.

• Nearly all detainees report instances of brutal treatment, punitive persecution, and violence by law enforcement officers. Among these, cases of psychological abuse have also emerged. Some detainees required medical assistance, and a number of them are still undergoing treatment in medical facilities. In some cases, despite the detainees' health conditions and efforts by their lawyers, law enforcement representatives have refused to transfer them to medical institutions.

• It appears that there is a deliberate effort to seize personal belongings from detainees, including mobile phones. In some cases, there is suspicion that law enforcement officers have stolen phones from the detainees.

• The violation of detainees' rights continues at the post-arrest stage as well—almost all detainees have had their 24-hour detention period arbitrarily extended by an additional 24 hours, with a standard and unsubstantiated justification.

• After being transferred to court, hearings are being held in disregard of fair trial standards. Cases are being considered at unreasonable hours, including during the night, and lawyers are not given sufficient time to defend the rights of their clients. The court imposes harsh sanctions, including administrative detention. Requests by lawyers to postpone hearings—necessary for reviewing case materials and gathering evidence—are routinely denied. In some cases, detainees are transferred to court shortly before the end of non-working hours, after their 24-hour detention period has expired, and lawyers are not informed of this in advance.

• The majority of detainees whose cases were heard late last night in court had serious injuries, including to their face and head. Despite this, the court did not postpone the hearings, and throughout this time, the detainees were required to remain in their cells or in the courtroom. The court did not take any action regarding the injuries, even though the law requires it to do so.

• To this day, investigative authorities have not identified those responsible for the crimes committed against the participants of the protest.

Recent dynamics show that there is organized criminal conduct directed against protest participants and media representatives, for which the responsibility lies entirely with the senior members of law enforcement.

Lawyers must be given the opportunity to communicate with detainees and defend them under proper conditions.

All detainees must be immediately released, and the cases against them must be terminated. 

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA)

Rights Georgia (RG)

Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI)

Transparency Intenational Georgia (TIG)

Social Justice Center (SJC)

Democracy Research Institute (DRI)

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

Partnership for Human Rights (PHR)