Justice minister: ECHR decision “clearly emphasises” human rights protection in Georgia “at a very high level”
Bregadze was commenting on the ruling of ECHR on cases of three individuals detained at a protest that was dispersed in November 2019 outside the parliament building in capital Tbilisi. Photo: Ministry of Justice
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Georgian justice minister Rati Bregadze on Thursday said the decision of the European court of human rights on Georgian authorities having shown “a degree of tolerance” towards protesters of a 2019 demonstration in Tbilisi “clearly emphasised” that protection of human rights in Georgia was carried out “at a very high level” and in accordance with the “European standard”.
Bregadze was commenting on the ruling of ECHR on cases of three individuals detained at a protest that was dispersed in November 2019 outside the parliament building in capital Tbilisi.
We are happy with this decision, and naturally, Georgia continues the course of the protection of human rights. This decision also clearly emphasises the fact that the protection of human rights in Georgia is carried out at a very high level, in accordance with the European standard”, Bregadze said.
The minister also said he was confident the domestic law enforcement and government structures would maintain the “balance between human dignity, rights and the issues of state security” going forward.
I am sure that the actions of the police, as well as any other representatives of the government, will continue to be very correct and will always take into account human rights and will maintain a reasonable balance between human dignity, rights and national security issues”, he noted.
The ruling came in cases submitted to the ECHR by Georgian social activists Giga Makarashvili, Zuka Berdzenishvili and Irakli Kacharava in 2020, with the three detained during the dispersal of the rally on November 18 of the preceding year that protested the legislative body’s rejection of the ruling party-proposed bill on changing the election system to proportional vote for the next elections in the country.
The three members of the civic movement Shame were among 10 individuals detained at the protest for disobedience to police and hooliganism and spent 12, four and seven days in prison respectively.
In comments to the ruling, the court said it did not consider “that the authorities failed to show a degree of tolerance towards the gathering”.
The European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday ruled that the Georgian authorities had shown “a degree of tolerance” towards participants of the demonstration dispersed in November 2019 outside the parliament building in capital Tbilisi.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted cases of Geogian social activists Giga Makarashvili, Zuka Berdzenishvili and Irakli Kacharava who were detained during the November 18 rally dispersal in Tbilisi.
“All against one” is the slogan under which the opposition will start marching on Rustaveli Street in Kutaisi and finish with a rally at Kutaisi City Hall on December 6.
Demonstrators who have been protesting the rejection of the election bill since November 14 have gathered in front of the administration building of the government of Georgia in central Tbilisi earlier today, demanding snap parliamentary elections with the use of a fully proportional electoral system, conducted by an interim government.Protests in Tbilisi were sparked after the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed election bill last week was scrapped.