Amnesty International on Friday condemned the police violence and mass arrests in Georgia, following peaceful protests against the decision of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to suspend the country’s application for EU membership until 2028.

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, called the behavior of the police and Georgian government “punitive” and geared towards suppressing dissent through “unlawful use of force.”

Krivosheev criticized the use of water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets aimed at protesters’ faces, calling for an immediate cessation of violence and the start of an “independent, fair, and thorough investigation”.

According to Georgia’s public defender (Ombudsman), the institution that oversees and advises the government on the situation of human rights in the country, the unjustified use of special equipment against protesters, politicians, and journalists, constitutes “criminal and degrading acts”.

The institution added that the police’s uncontrolled behavior is due to their de facto impunity—the absence of the obligation for the police to carry body cameras and insignia. Regarding the insignia, they cited the European Court of Human Rights’ Tsaava and Others v. Georgia (2019) case, which stressed the importance of police wearing visible insignia to ensure accountability while remaining anonymous.

In a post on X, President Salome Zourabichvili described the government as illegitimate, accusing the authorities of using illegal tactics to silence Georgians who remain committed to their “constitutional and European values.”

The indiscriminate use of force against peaceful protesters by the Georgian authorities may violate the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which emphasizes that the use of force should only occur when strictly necessary and in proportion to the threat faced. According to its provisions, when force is unavoidable, it must be minimal, proportional, and only to achieve a legitimate law enforcement objective.

Protests started on 28 November 2024 following Prime Minister Kobakhidze’s decision to suspend membership negotiations with the EU until 2028. In October Kobakhidze won the parliamentary elections, but was widely criticized by the EU and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), who expressed concern over the irregularities of the democratic process and his ties to Russia.