08 September 2021, 19:08
Law on amnesty for protesters in Tbilisi passed despite opposition opinion
Members of the ruling “Georgian Dream” Party secured the adoption of the law on amnesty for participants of the June 2019 protests and the policemen who were dispersing them. The opposition spoke against the amnesty for the law enforcers.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 19, members of some Georgian oppositional parties and the ruling "Georgian Dream" Party came to an agreement to resolve the political crisis in the country, which includes, among other things, an amnesty for political prisoners and the holding of parliamentary elections.
On the night of June 21, 2019, the police used tear gas and rubber bullets and dispersed the protesters in front of the parliament building. According to the Georgian Ministry for Public Health, 240 people were hospitalized. Those events are known as “Gavrilov’s Night”. At least three policemen were charged with abuse of power while dispersing the rally. On June 20, the rally “No amnesty to the occupants” was held in Tbilisi, during which more than 200 protestors called on not to allow an amnesty for the law enforcers who were dispersing the protesters on June 21, 2019.
On the evening of September 7, the Georgian parliament adopted the Law “On amnesty”. All convicts and defendants, both protestors and law enforcers, are exempted from criminal liability. The only exceptions will be those whose guilt falls under the definition of torture, inhuman treatment, and treatment containing humiliation of honour and dignity. In addition, those who gave the order for targeted shooting and those who fulfilled such an order and deliberately inflicted harm to the health of people will not fall under the amnesty.
The parliament meeting held on September 7 was accompanied by a protest action. Members of the “It’s a Time” (Droa) Party, the “Shame” movement, and victims of the June 20 rally dispersal criticized the provisions of the Law “On amnesty”. When the protestors tried to make an inscription on the wall of the parliament building, they clashed with the police, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reported.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 8, 2021 at 11:53 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Galina Gotua Source: CK correspondent
