Politics Ombudsman speaks of police violence and torture in Georgia

The human rights commissioner in the South Caucasus republic of Georgia, Levan Iosseliani, complains of police violence and torture following talks with arrested demonstrators.

"Most of them have serious injuries to the face, eyes and head, which practically rules out the possibility that the police used the necessary, reasonable force against them each time," he said in a statement. "Deliberate, severe use of force for the purpose of punishment constitutes an act of torture." The office has spoken to more than 200 people.

During the protests against the postponement of the EU accession negotiations, people were again injured during the night. According to the Ministry of Health, 15 people were taken to hospital. Eleven were participants in the demonstrations, three were media representatives and one was a member of the security forces. Numerous people also received medical treatment on site.

Since the parliamentary elections at the end of October, which were overshadowed by allegations of fraud, people in Georgia have been taking their anger to the streets. Following Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement that he would not enter into EU accession negotiations until 2028, the protests reached a new level of escalation. According to the Georgian Ministry of the Interior, more than 290 people have been arrested in the past few days.

SDA