The Parliament of Georgia, in an accelerated mode, considered and adopted in three readings legislative amendments that will radically strengthen responsibility for violations at protest actions, UNN reports with reference to Novosti Georgia.
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According to the publication, now in Georgia, appearing at a rally in a mask or blocking a road is punishable by administrative arrest for 15 days. If the offender is an organizer, the term increases to 20 days. If the police demand to stop the rally, disobedience will lead to arrest for up to 60 days. A similar term applies to carrying firearms or pyrotechnics at a rally.
Amendments to the criminal code introduce imprisonment for up to one year for repeated violations of the rules for participating in actions and up to two years for subsequent ones.
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The authors of the initiative from "Georgian Dream" claim that the law is aimed at protesters who regularly block Rustaveli Avenue. According to the law, demonstrators can occupy the roadway only if they do not fit on the sidewalk. Currently, this is punishable by a fine of 5,000 lari.
About 30 non-governmental organizations condemned the amendments, calling them a de facto ban on peaceful protests. Human rights activists emphasize that the new measures violate the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.