Homophobic Pogroms: CSOs Hold Government Accountable
Georgian civil society organizations criticized today the Government over the failure to defend the Constitution and to prevent violence perpetrated by far-right and church-led homophobic crowds.
- PM Says Pride March ‘Unreasonable,’ Organized by ‘Radical Opposition’
- Far-Right Groups Massively Attack Journalists
- Tbilisi Pride March Cancelled
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association lambasted Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s statement over calling Tbilisi Pride March “inappropriate,” noting that “shifting of responsibility to peaceful demonstrators further exacerbates the already tense background, also incites violent actions by homophobic groups, and in fact gives carte blanche to violence.”
GYLA also said, “the Ministry of Internal Affairs failed to ensure the effective management of the process and the mobilization of an adequate number of police forces, which further contributed to the aggravation of the process.”
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) said “state institutions have failed to uphold the rights of citizens guaranteed by the constitution, which is why the organizers of the Pride Week had to postpone the announced peaceful assembly today.” “The law enforcement agencies did not effectively prevent the cases of violence in the streets of Tbilisi.”
Transparency International Georgia said, “although there have been a number of threatening statements made recently by members of those violent groups, the measures taken by the authorities have proven ineffective.”
“Prior to the media crackdown, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated that he considered the July 5 march unreasonable and that the revanchist radical opposition was behind its organizers. The Prime Minister of Georgia has practically encouraged violence through this statement,” noted the CSO.
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