On May 28, 2024, the Director of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zviad Kharazishvili, confirmed to journalists that the special forces beat citizens and that there is a pre-made list for this ("I don't beat Youth, I beat "dishonorable man". We have a list..."). It is alarming that a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who has an important policing function, is publicly issuing threats of violent practices. This, of course, has the effect of encouraging violence on the part of law enforcement officers.

This statement once again makes it clear that the government is deliberately using illegal and violent methods to suppress the ongoing peaceful protest. It is particularly alarming that since the initiation of the Russian law, there have been numerous cases of possible torture, inhuman or degrading treatment by law enforcement officers.

It should be noted that the Special Investigation Service does not give adequate legal qualifications to such cases and always conducts the investigation under Article 333 of the Criminal Code, which implies exceeding official authority.

We call on:

The Ministry of Internal Affairs: to refuse violent and human rights-violating practices, to protect the right to peaceful assembly, and the physical safety of demonstrators.

Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Special Tasks Department: not to carry out illegal orders. We remind them that the execution of a criminal order with prior knowledge is the basis of criminal liability.

The Special Investigation Service: to have an effective response to cases of violence by law enforcement officers, which, among other things, is expressed in providing the correct qualifications for cases of violence. Additionally, Zviad Kharazishvili should be interviewed, and relevant investigative actions should be conducted in response to his statement.