The Head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, commented on the situation at a rally in Tbilisi last night.
The protest began in the evening and lasted until the morning of May 1. During the rally, over 60 people were detained, dozens were injured, including UNM leader Levan Khabeishvili. Participants in the action threw stones and bottles at the special forces. In response, the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers used special means - water cannons, pepper spray, and tear gas. Six security forces were injured, three of them were hospitalized.
"I strongly condemn the violence against protesters in Georgia who were participating in peaceful demonstrations against the Foreign Influence Law. Georgia is an EU candidate country and I call on the authorities to ensure the right to peaceful assembly. The use of force to suppress them is unacceptable",
Borrell said.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili also spoke out about the inadmissibility of the actions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the protest. According to her, peaceful participants in the rally were dispersed by force.
Georgia's Special Investigation Service has launched an investigation into possible abuse of power following a night of protests over the law on foreign agents.
