Dozens of Georgian women protesters are testifying about the verbal or physical assault by Georgian police. Georgia’s former public defender, Nino Lomjaria, says there have been reports from women that they were “forced to strip and do squats during detention and searches.” She assessed such treatment as torture, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
The stories have recently gone viral on Georgian social media, with women recalling how police targeted them at protests. Police chased demonstrators for several hours during and after the march in Tbilisi on February 2, intimidating women in particular with sexually explicit insults, curses, and threats of rape.
Hunger-striking Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli is among over 40 Georgians jailed on criminal charges stemming from anti-government protests. Equality Now is concerned about her deteriorating health as doctors and relatives fear for her life. She started a hunger strike on the day of her detention on January 12. She was moved from the prison to the hospital for treatment on February 4. Mzia, the founder of independent news outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti.ge, faces up to seven years in prison on dubious charges amid a broader crackdown on media freedom in Georgia.
More than 300 Georgian women, members of different political parties, joined forces and signed a petition calling Georgian authorities to free Mzia Amaghlobeli immediately. The statement reads, “Mzia is a prisoner of conscience, and she is taken as the hostage.”
As an organization dedicated to protecting women’s and girls’ rights, Equality Now stands in solidarity with Mzia Amaghlobeli and all women defending their freedoms and rights.
Equality Now urges the Georgian Government in accordance with human rights standards to which it is a party:
- To immediately release Mzia Amaghlobeli on the basis that criminal charges against her are disproportionate and do not serve the public interest;
- To re-examine all charges brought against other arrested demonstrators by impartial, speedy, and fair procedures free from undue influence and not to instrumentalize the law or use disproportionate force to crack down on demonstrators, recognizing that freedom of peaceful assembly and expression are fundamental human rights;
- To promptly investigate and ensure accountability for all allegations of police violations against demonstrators, including alleged torture, inhuman treatment, assaults, and sexual harassment against all protesters, including women;
- To abolish the “foreign agents law” and any other measures that limit the civil society space;
- To reaffirm the commitment to women’s rights and gender equality by putting these issues back on the authorities’ agenda.
Protests erupted in Georgia on November 28, 2024, when the ruling party Georgian Dream announced it would halt the efforts of the accession negotiations with the EU until 2028. The protests are currently ongoing. The developments in Georgia reflect rising authoritarianism in the region and women’s resistance to it.
Equality Now stands in solidarity with women’s movements challenging authoritarianism and the suppression of fundamental rights in Georgia and globally.