At 6pm today, on 18 July, a demonstration "Stop Russia" is scheduled to take place outside the Government Administration building. The protest action is organized by several media and civil society organizations who since this morning have been faced with an interruption: The security police have been preventing them from setting up a stage on the territory.
The right to assemble and petition is guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia (Article 25) and the state shall not violate it unless the protesters’ actions are against the law. As it was reported, the police could not provide any actual reasoning behind the decision. Even if such a reason existed, according to the Article 2 of the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations of Georgia (Article 2), a restriction of freedom of assembly should be absolutely necessary, must serve protection of the Constitution and be directed towards public good, non-discriminatory and proportional.
We believe that the police have been restricting the rights of the protesters unlawfully. The organizers, on the other hand, had followed the law and notified the Government Administration about their plans 5 days in advance. We urge the Ministry of Internal Affairs to react in due time and ensure that the rights and freedoms of the protesters are protected.
Civil society organizations will issue another statement in connection to the events occurred during the day.
Transparency International (TI) Georgia
Georgia's Reforms Associates (GRASS)
Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI)
Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI)
Identoba
Media Development Fund (MDF)
Civil Development Agency (CiDA)
Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies (GISS)
Center for Democracy and Strategic Studies (CDSS)
