Database of violent individuals in Georgia
Georgia‘s parliament speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, announced at a special briefing that the ruling party, “Georgian Dream,” is compiling a public database of individuals involved in violence, illegal actions, threats, or blackmail, or those who “publicly endorse such actions.”
Papuashvili clarified that in recent days, protesters against the “foreign agents” bill had “stormed” parliament and attacked law enforcement officers. Additionally, he stated that prominent members of society were being blackmailed, which “exceeds the bounds of peaceful protest culture.”
What did the speaker of the Parliament say?
“Since 2012, the freedom of peaceful protest, assembly, and expression of opinions has been ensured in Georgia at the highest level, as evidenced by events in recent weeks. However, the state is responsible, in accordance with legal principles, for opposing any violence and lawlessness that have nothing to do with peaceful protests, assemblies, and expressions of opinions.
Unfortunately, we see that radical opposition and the aggressive youth groups formed around them regularly resort to violent and other unlawful actions, fueling hatred.
In recent weeks, the public has witnessed a cruel storming of the parliament building, attacks on law enforcement officers, unlawful restrictions on the movement of citizens, physical and verbal violence against dissatisfied citizens, as well as violence and blackmail against artists, athletes, politicians, and other well-known members of society and their families. All this contradicts the culture of peaceful protest that our society has always prided itself on and which the National Movement opposition party has been trying to undermine for many years.
To address this, the Political Council of the Georgian Dream party has decided, through party structures, to begin creating a database that will collect information about all individuals involved in violence, other unlawful actions, threats, and blackmail, or publicly approving of such actions. This database will be placed on a special website and will be accessible and transparent to the citizens of Georgia. Measures will be taken against these individuals within the framework of the Constitution and the law to ensure that violations of the law, violence, and threats do not go unanswered by the state and society.”